Huangming

Chapter 104: The imperial edict destroyed the vassal, and the warriors strengthened themselves

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with Zhang Weixian's reaction.

"Since we are going to leave the capital, we must first select the strongest and most capable men."

Zhu Youxiao slowly said, "Tell the generals of the Beijing garrison that if they perform well during their training trip to Kaifeng, I will reward them handsomely."

Zhang Weixian's eyes lit up, but there was a hint of hesitation in them. He asked, "I wonder what method Your Majesty uses to select the strongest men?"

Zhu Youxiao slowly said, "How about we follow the recommendation?"

Recommendation?

Zhang Weixian's expression froze instantly.

Will those nominated be the elite?

Those are probably all second-generation nobles with connections, especially since the emperor himself said that there would be heavy rewards for this military training. At that time, who knows how many people with no real skills but many connections will try to get in.

"Your Majesty, isn't this too much?"

Zhu Youxiao chuckled and said, "Go and do it."

Unable to discern the emperor's meaning, Zhang Weixian could only nod in agreement.

"Motosuke."

The emperor turned his gaze to Fang Congzhe.

"The cabinet drafted an edict to punish Prince Fu and to cancel all the excessive honors and rewards, which were then confiscated and returned to the national treasury."

He wanted to see if the Prince of Fu dared to rebel.

If anyone dares to rebel, he can use the charge of treason to completely strip Prince Fu of his power.

Emperor Zhengde dealt with Prince Ning by first inducing him to rebel, and then suppressing him under the pretext of quelling the rebellion.

Zhu Youxiao is following suit.

However, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, was quite different from Prince Ning, Zhu Chenhao.

Zhu Chenhao was a man of ambition and ability, and he took it upon himself to rebel.

Besides indulging in wine and women, Prince Fu also oppressed the local people and was completely unpopular.

Even if they rebel, it's easy to quell them.

Perhaps the local officials, soldiers, and civilians had already dealt with him before the royal army arrived.

In fact, Zhu Youxiao had other ways to deal with Prince Fu.

For example, by suddenly arresting and suppressing public opinion, Prince Fu could be directly apprehended.

However, this was done during the Yongle Emperor's policy of reducing the power of the princes. Considering the Yongle Emperor's prestige at the time, this was probably not something he could have imitated.

If he really does that, what will the other vassal kings think?
As emperor, Zhu Youxiao had to consider things as comprehensively as possible.

If the Prince of Fu were timid, Zhu Youxiao could not eliminate him, but he could still exploit him, sustainably draining his resources to provide a continuous stream of funds for his reforms of the Ming Dynasty and the training of the new army. In that case, Zhu Youxiao's goal would be achieved.

However, at this point, Zhu Youxiao's main concern shifted from punishing Prince Fu to reorganizing the Beijing Garrison.

The Book of Dragon Slayer states: The principal contradiction will change with the changing situation, and Zhu Youxiao only needs to grasp the principal contradiction.

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe looked surprised, but still nodded and said, "This old minister will take care of it immediately!"

……

After Zhu Youxiao finished discussing how to deal with Prince Fu,

Wei Zhongxian had also completed the initial stage of confiscating property.

That very night, Wei Zhongxian went to the emperor to report the good news.

This was because the confiscation of the property of Zheng Yangxing and Cui Wensheng, as well as the Cining Palace, yielded a great deal of wealth.

Consort Zheng enjoyed the emperor's favor for decades, and the wealth she accumulated was astronomical.

Although many of them were given out of the palace to her beloved son, Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, there were still quite a few left.

After a thorough search, they actually obtained as much as 1.5 million taels of silver.

Looking at the money that had been transferred to the imperial treasury, Zhu Youxiao felt that he was becoming addicted to confiscating property.

They can't collect taxes, but they're always successful at confiscating property.

However, confiscating property is ultimately an unsustainable path.

We need to maintain the army, and after the reforms, we can collect taxes; this is the long-term solution.

The Qing Dynasty could collect 40 million taels of silver a year, so there's no reason why it could only collect 5 million taels.

"You have done well, I will reward you handsomely!"

Zhu Youxiao was generous in rewarding those who helped him, such as Wei Zhongxian, Luo Yangxing, and Li Ruzhen.

Those who perform good deeds should be rewarded, and those who make mistakes should be punished.

Only then will the people under your command be dedicated and responsible.

In the following days, Zhu Youxiao gradually withdrew his energy from reviewing memorials.

He needs to focus his energy on military matters now!

October 29th of the first year of the Taichang reign.

On the training ground in the West Garden, banners fluttered in the wind, and 1,500 soldiers from the three thousand-household units of the Tengxiang Left Guard stood in formation like pines, wearing black cotton armor and holding twelve-foot-long white spears.

The two thousand Sichuan soldiers were Qin Liangyu's elite White-Spear Soldiers, with red turbans on their heads, hooks and sickles hanging from their waists, and spears on their backs. Their appearance drew a chorus of gasps from the viewing platform.

Their steps resembled those of a mountain ape traversing a stream; though they moved swiftly and changed formations, there was not a single sound.

"Raise your spears!"

With a roar from Lieutenant General Qin Bangping, the front rank of Sichuan soldiers suddenly unfurled like a stone screen, their white spears pointing diagonally to the sky, their cold gleam forming a giant, silver-scaled python. Behind them, soldiers simultaneously untied their hooked sickles from their waists, flicking their wrists to unleash iron chains over ten feet long, the sound of them piercing the air like the fluttering of bees.

Li Ruzhen, who was observing the ceremony, trembled in his teacup, and a few drops of Biluochun tea spilled onto his scarlet robe without him even noticing.

The fighting power of these White-Clad Soldiers far surpasses that of the current Li family retainers.

Right now.

Just as the White-Clad Soldiers' formation changed abruptly, three red flags suddenly rose from the northwest corner.

Five hundred archers of the Tengxiang Guard drew their bows like full moons, and as the rain of arrows poured down, hundreds of rattan shields exploded on the ground in the Sichuan soldiers' formation, instantly forming a tortoise shell formation.

With a muffled thud as the arrow pierced the oil-soaked rattan, thirty-six hook-and-sickle men suddenly rolled out, their iron chains sweeping across and severing the heads of the straw dummy stakes a hundred paces away. The straw dummy stakes were all clad in iron-plated leather armor, and fluffy willow catkins and iron pieces flew together from the severed ends.

Zhu Youxiao slowly rose, supported by the nine-dragon golden chair, and saw an eight-zhang-high cloud ladder rising from the Sichuan soldiers' ranks.

The white-pole soldiers moved like geckos slithering along the wall, their hooks and spears clashing and forming a treacherous pattern. In a short while, they had formed an arrow formation on the training ground wall.

Qin Bangping's younger brother, Qin Minping, leaned closer to the emperor and whispered, "I have fought the White Spear Soldiers' ladder formation dozens of times and have never been defeated."

Before the words were finished, a deafening roar suddenly erupted in the arena. Two thousand Sichuan soldiers slammed their spears to the ground and began to sing the "Song of Breaking the Enemy's Formation" in the local dialect of Sichuan. With each line, they struck their shields with hooks and sickles, creating a deafening clang of metal.

As dusk settled, dozens of torches suddenly lit up in the southeast corner of the training ground.

The heavily armored soldiers of the Tengxiang Guard were seen pushing sidecars to form a fortified chariot, while the Sichuan soldiers hid in the gaps between the chariot formations in groups of three.

When the drums simulating a cavalry charge sounded, the sickle-wielders slashed at the horses' legs, the spearmen thrust at the riders, and the javelin throwers hurled short spears from the arrow holes of the chariot formation.

The 1,500 men of the three thousand-household units of Tengxiang Left Guard, which guarded the Ming Tombs and held Juyong Pass, could not withstand the White-Spear Soldiers for even a quarter of an hour.

After the military exercise, Tengxiang Left Guard was somewhat embarrassed.

They were originally the emperor's personal guard, yet they were inferior to the border troops.

Especially in front of the emperor, it was a huge loss of face.

And
His Majesty has been reviewing the troops these past few days.

We must either use Qi Jiguang's army or the White-Spear Soldiers to fight against the two or three thousand-household detachments of the disbanded and trained Four Guards Battalion.

Yesterday, the Tengxiang Left Guard and the White Spear Soldiers faced off against the enemy. They exchanged information and made ample preparations, but unexpectedly, they were still soundly defeated during the military exercise.

Shame on you!
Shame on you!
How will His Majesty view these people?
Many hereditary military households are already feeling a sense of crisis.

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with their reaction.

He slowly stepped onto the viewing platform, his black dragon robe fluttering in the winter wind.

After taking the stage, Zhu Youxiao's gaze swept over the silent Tengxiang Left Guard with their heads bowed, and finally landed on the two thousand white-pole soldiers under Qin Bangping's command, who stood upright like pine trees.

"Today, the yellow earth of this Xiyuan training ground has been scraped thinned by three inches by the hooks and sickles of the White-Spear Soldiers!"

The emperor's voice, chilled by the winter sun, startled several commanders of the Tengxiang Guard, causing them to shrink back.

"Look at them, their hooks and sickles cut through armor like bamboo, their siege ladders scale city walls like monkeys—this is the elite army I need!"

Zhu Youxiao looked around and saw that the soldiers of Tengxiang Left Guard were all hanging their heads dejectedly, while the White-Spear Soldiers were standing tall and proud, enjoying the emperor's praise.

Zhu Youxiao continued, “You have received the Emperor’s favor for generations, wear the new chainmail made by the Imperial Treasury, and eat the rice from the Five Military Commissions. Yet, during the military exercise just now, three thousand-household units couldn’t hold off the Sichuan soldiers for even a quarter of an hour!”

Zhu Youxiao stared at the soldiers of the Tengxiang Left Guard and said sternly:

“You are the Emperor’s personal guard, a powerful army that once followed Emperor Chengzu in his campaigns against the Tatars and Oirats. Now, you have become so negligent. I am heartbroken!”

"Starting tomorrow, each thousand-household garrison will be incorporated with three hundred White-Spear Soldiers. They must thoroughly master the tactics of the Linked Formation and the Wave-like Strike! Daily drills will begin at 3:45 AM and continue until 1:00 PM. I want to see the blisters on your palms turn into calluses!"

The soldiers of the Fourth Guard Battalion were all terrified, their faces turning pale.

Zhu Youxiao coldly looked at the soldiers below him, his voice seemingly filled with murderous intent: "The drill ground will be held again in three months. The last-ranked thousand-household unit and all military officers above the hundred-household level will be sent to Liaodong and will not be recalled that night!"

silence.

Deathly silence.

Only the winter wind howls.

The commanders of the Tengxiang Left Guard, in particular, were deeply worried.

Go to Liaodong to fight the Jurchens?

Or should we not collect it that night?

Isn't that just going to your death?
They turned their heads one by one, looking at their men with murderous intent in their eyes, thinking to themselves:

If their garrison ranks last in three months, wouldn't they have to go to Liaodong and not be accepted into custody that very night?

Absolutely not!
A dead Taoist friend is not a poor Taoist.

They secretly resolved to rigorously train their livestock and improve the combat effectiveness of their soldiers!
Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with the high morale of the people below.

His personal inspection of the four guard battalions, which took several days, must have had a purpose.

Firstly, it was to make these soldiers aware of him as the emperor, and through military reviews and rewards, to make them understand for whom they were loyal.

Gain the loyalty of these soldiers and make them work for you.

Secondly, we will train the four guard battalions to make them aware of their own capabilities and force them to develop combat effectiveness as soon as possible.

For the sake of the Ming Dynasty's future, Zhu Youxiao had no choice but to become the school principal.
The musketeer from the Former Thousand-Household Garrison of Tengxiang Left Guard, move your musket ten centimeters to the left!

And the other side.

Three days ago, Wang Tiqian, carrying the emperor's edict of culpability, and Wan Wei, the Imperial Clan Court Commander and Imperial Son-in-Law, had already left Beijing and were galloping towards Luoyang.

Neither of them was confident.

This trip is to Luoyang.

福王
Will it actually rebel?

ps:
Day 7 of 10,000 daily visits!
It's the last day of the double monthly pass period, so don't hold back your monthly passes, cast them all!
(End of this chapter)