A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 727 Xuantong
"Kill them all..."

Everyone in the cabinet was silent as if being choked by the throat, and Emperor Chongzhen's expression was also fluctuating. After a long time, he murmured: "Then, where does Wang Dou's maintenance cost come from?"

He sighed and said: "Suzaku, Xuanwu, Qinglong, Baihu, as well as the Zhongjun camp, Zhongyi camp, and Xinfu camp, as far as I know, there will be no less than [-] troops under Wang Dou's direct control! Nearly half, the right servant also calculated earlier, [-] new troops need so much food and pay a year, how can Wang Dou get so much money?"

According to the information gathered by all parties, Emperor Chongzhen also knew the approximate strength of Wang Dou's troops, and when he got up every day, he calculated it again and again, estimated that Wang Dou's troops had increased or decreased?
What he still doesn't understand is how Wang Dou can afford to support such soldiers and horses, even in Liao Town, with a salary of several million taels a year, the number of elite soldiers there is nothing compared to Wang Dou, right? .

All the ministers looked at each other, and it was Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, who stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the imperial court is afraid that Wang Dou's way of raising troops will not be learned, and now he has no monthly salary in the army, let alone An Jiayin! "

Who in the cabinet doesn't pay attention to Wang Dou?All his past events over the years have been carefully watched under a large mirror, and his method of raising soldiers has been speculated and pondered by all parties. Everyone believes that the way Wang Dou made his fortune at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty was like the military system of the Tang Dynasty. Soldiers in wartime.

But there seems to be a slight difference. After all, the government soldiers need to prepare their own bows, arrows, clothing and food, except for heavy weapons and war horses. But for Wang Dou, these are all provided by him and do not need to be self-raised. In this way, it is somewhat Like the guards at the beginning of the country.

For example, now the various forts in Xuanfu Town are farming in their busy hours and practicing in their free time, just like when Wang Dou first made his fortune.

But if you learn from Wang Dou, there is one thing that is difficult for the imperial court to achieve, that is, the organizational ability at the grassroots level!
Now the Jia system has long since been abolished in various parts of Daming, and the local gentry are basically the masters. Even the payment of food and taxes is mostly arranged by them as subcontractors. There are no trustworthy grassroots officials. ?
In the end, will the elite soldiers not be obtained, and the tens of thousands of new troops turned into simple farmers, just like the current guard system?
Moreover, this method takes too long, and it is too difficult to produce elite soldiers. The country is surrounded by tigers and wolves. It is not a time when the enemy is relatively weak. If a war starts, it will be a series of bloody battles. Forming an army, or annihilating the entire army, the risk is not small.

Don't look at Wang Dou's great momentum now, but it was also very difficult for him when he first started out. Fortunately, he survived. Many elite veterans emerged from the group of field soldiers who fought while farming, and Wang Dou finally owned a tens of thousands of dogs. An army of unemployed people.

There is also a steady stream of field soldiers serving as reserve soldiers. This is the secret of Wang Dou's success.

Regarding this point, all the ministers can see clearly, but they are not envious, the country does not have the opportunity like Wang Dou, and can gradually form an army from weak to strong.

What they need is an elite who can fight quickly, and there is no room for gradual development, so Wang Dou can not pay the soldiers, but they can't. Just like Cao, Wang and others are training a new army, they must have An Jiayin and The monthly salary allows the sergeants to practice with peace of mind.

Of course, there are still many things that they don't understand, such as the meritorious service in the Jingbian army, they feel very mysterious.

"That's right, fighting on the sidelines, without paying food and salaries, the court can't learn from it, and I don't have that time!"

Emperor Chongzhen murmured.

It is too difficult for the new army to drill while farming, and it is difficult for Emperor Chongzhen to trust the officials below. Who knows what will happen in the end?
Yang Sichang proposed to increase training salaries back then, and Emperor Chongzhen was worried that he would lose faith in the world. Yang Sichang said, "There is no harm, the addition of taxes comes from Tutian, and all the Tutian belongs to powerful families. A hundred acres of silver will be donated to three or four dollars, and it will be slightly suppressed and merged." Most of them belonged to "powerful families", but in the end, they were passed on to ordinary homeowners, making the rogues even more turbulent.

The corruption of the Imperial Guard was right in front of him, and it was hard for Emperor Chongzhen to trust the integrity of the low-level officials.

But in any case, the imperial court didn't even have the food and pay to train a new army of tens of thousands of people?Even if Wang Dou doesn't pay the army and An Jiayin, it still costs a lot to raise an army of tens of thousands of people. Even the local warlords can afford it, why can't they support it themselves?

He looked sternly at Ni Yuanlu, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs: "Ni Yuanlu, tell me, the country's annual summer grain and autumn grain are more than 200 million shi, even if calculated according to the right servant, the new army needs to invest more than [-] million taels of silver in the early stage, but From then on, the annual military pay for equipment is only one million taels of silver!"

"Could it be that such a big Ming, with the strength of the whole country, can't even train a new army of tens of thousands of people?"

Ni Yuanlu stepped forward and knelt down with a haggard look. After he took office, he implemented the policy of saving money and money, and he received unimaginable attacks. In particular, many warriors who were paid nothing and drank the blood of soldiers were dissatisfied, and even issued personal threats. Soon In the past, he strictly prohibited private money and promoted the policy of banknotes, but in the end all of them were aborted.

Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty set the ancestral precept not to use Zhejiang people as household officials, and Emperor Chongzhen made an exception for his appointment. Ni Yuanlu was grateful for his kindness, but since he took office, he found that everything he did seemed to be bad, and nothing would happen As a result, he was exhausted physically and mentally, and the emperor was even more disappointed in him.

As soon as the emperor said this, Ni Yuanlu just smiled wryly. Although Daming earned more than [-] million taels a year, a large part of it needed to be kept elsewhere. The annual income from Taikuang, the Ministry of Household Affairs, was only a few million taels of silver.

As for the expenditure, the military expenditure of each side alone is more than 800 million taels. The annual deficit of the household department is a huge figure. How can there be money to train the new army?

"No money?"

Emperor Chongzhen sneered, he was not the emperor at that time, and many things gradually became clear to him, besides, now with the Xuanfu Times, his vision has been broadened a lot.

The Xuanfu Times is divided into current affairs news, miscellaneous reviews, Xuanfu News, Xuanda News, Daming News, Overseas News and other columns. Among them, Emperor Chongzhen liked to read overseas news.

He remembered that he mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that Zheng Zhilong in the southeast earned tens of millions of taels of silver a year just by collecting ship taxes, which was higher than the income of his own central treasury. It is full of gold and silver mountains.

Looking at the report, it seems that the whole world is full of money, why is it so empty when it comes to me?
He said coldly: "Do I, Ming, have no money? I remember that Wang Dou confiscated Shanxi merchants, and a few merchants in the district confiscated millions of taels of silver!"

A sudden gust of cold wind blew through, and the silence in the pavilion was terrifying. Ni Yuanlu looked at Emperor Chongzhen in surprise, and even Fu Shuxun, the Minister of Rites who was about to fall asleep, suddenly raised his head and looked at the emperor with piercing eyes. From the first assistant Zhou Yanru down, everyone looked at their noses and mouths, and their mouths looked at their hearts, quietly and silently.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at them one by one and saw that their faces were hidden in the darkness, which seemed to be quite sinister. He was startled suddenly, and a chill came to his heart. All kinds of people and things came to his mind one by one, he opened his mouth, and suddenly felt speechless!

……

Chen Xinjia gritted his teeth: "Perhaps, we can start with Liao's salary. The annual salary of Shanhaiguan and Liaozhen is more than 400 million taels. If you save a little, it will be more than enough to train the new army..."

All the ministers remained silent, Wei Zaode stood upright, glanced at Chen Xinjia slightly out of the corner of his eye, with a hint of disdain and glee at his misfortune.

In the end, seeing that the emperor's face was really ugly, Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, stepped forward and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I think it's better to set up a booklet of yellow silk and recruit hundreds of officials to help. There are many officials, businessmen and rich households in the capital. When the court is in dire straits, the gentry and officials will all generously donate money and food to meet the urgent needs of the country."

Although there was a precedent of Xue Guoguan’s failure in persuading donations, Zhou Yanru believes that it is better to let officials and wealthy households contribute to the payment than the emperor’s appalling idea of ​​raiding officials and businessmen. Even if there is a rebound, one is "voluntary" and the other is forced Paying objects are always considered.

All the ministers nodded, Zhou Yanru's move was not a method among the methods. As cabinet ministers, they would definitely donate a few hundred taels of silver each to play a pioneering and exemplary role.

Emperor Chongzhen said decadently: "Let's discuss this matter again."

He said: "Why is Wang Dou strong and strong? The guns are sharp, that's one thing! However, Guochao has the power of the whole Ming Dynasty, isn't it even inferior to weapons? Yuan Jingwen, what do you say?"

The atmosphere was too dull before, so at this time, the ministers in the cabinet rushed to speak first.

Jing Wen, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, said first: "Back to the emperor, over the years the Ming Dynasty gathered the capital, and there were hundreds of thousands of artisans in Tianjin. However, because of the bandits and slaves, many artisans were looted. There are also artisans fleeing. Now the capital There are not many military craftsmen left in the vicinity...so..."

He didn't say a word. Apart from being plundered, the craftsmen who gathered in the capital were poached by Xuanfu Town and the Qing Dynasty every year. Compared with the number on the roster, there might not be one out of ten. Hunger and cold, no enthusiasm.

Of course, he can use old illnesses to evade this point, after all, he has only been the Minister of the Ministry of Industry for a short time.

He changed the subject: "Actually, when it comes to making firearms, the north has always been inferior to the south. At present, Guangdong is the best at firearms. I heard that Cantonese people are good at bird guns. The people of Shanxian county were born ten years old, and they were given a bird gun and taught how to strike. The bird, for a long time, hit it delicately, put it on the elbow, hit it with the object on its back, and the money hole can be pierced a hundred paces away! I want to recruit new army musketeers, I think it can recruit Cantonese soldiers!"

He said: "Furthermore, the bird blunderbuss is finely made by the new clubhouse. The blunderbuss is placed in the palm. When it hits an object, the blunderbuss will not move, and the palm will not be damaged. Then put it on the elbow and use it. With the person in front, turn around and strike horizontally." So, everything is perfect! The governor of Guangdong can summon Xinhui craftsmen to Beijing. The Cantonese are also good at making red barbarian cannons. Before and after, there are nearly [-] red barbarian cannons in Guangdong Province. Cannon? Let their gunsmiths enter Beijing!"

He talked casually, Emperor Chongzhen nodded from time to time, he read the newspapers, most of the defeats of Cao and Wang were defeated by the cannons of the bandits, but they only had Flang cannons, and they responded with Hongyi cannons. Will be able to defeat the thieves!

Chen Yan, Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of Dongge University, said at this time: "The craftsmen are far away from their homeland, and they are afraid of being passive and tired. In fact, it doesn't need to be so troublesome. You can just buy guns and guns from the locals in Guangdong."

Although he is from Sichuan, but he has good friends with the officials in Guangdi, his heart was moved when he heard the words, and he immediately spoke.

Yuan Jingwen squinted at each other, and said with a sneer, "How can a military weapon be used in private hands? What's the intention of the Dongge University scholar?"

Not to be outdone, Chen Yan also sneered and said, "Now that I buy copper and iron from private individuals, why not firearms? Didn't the Ministry of War buy bird guns from Wang Dou? Guang guns are quite fine, so why can't they buy them? What's more, Wang Dou That's not selling guns!"

He said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I have read the folk notes. It was said that the craftsmen of the country have always refused to devote themselves to making weapons. The officials who supervised the manufacture also only wanted to save. Can it be Seiko?"

He said: "There is still a saying in the notes. During the trade between the East and the West, the barbarians exclusively bought guns from Guangzhong. The people who sold them to the barbarians were extremely skilled, and those who made them for the government were evil! Looking at Ming Dynasty, all If this is the case, I am afraid that after the craftsmen from all over the country arrive in the capital, they will not be able to produce fine workmanship. Wouldn't it be a waste of the emperor's holy will? If not, just buy from the local area!"

He said: "I heard earlier that the iron industry in Foshan, Guangdong is the most prosperous. There are tens of thousands of ironworkers inside and outside the city alone, and tens of thousands of guns are built in the district. Just wait!"

Emperor Chongzhen groaned and remained silent, Chen Yan stole a glance at the emperor and stepped back, saying that it was enough for him.

Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, said: "I heard that self-generated firecrackers have been used in Wang Dou's army. I remember that in the eighth year of Chongzhen, Bi Maokang, the former right servant of the Ministry of War, wrote "Illustration of Military Weapons", saying: "The barbarians are most afraid of China. Firearms too.’ There are various methods of making firearms and poisonous crossbows listed above, especially self-generating blunderbusses. I think that if the new army trains for a day, if all the blunderbuss soldiers are equipped with self-generating blunderbusses, so that they can be used on rainy and snowy days, the enemy will no longer be troubled. fear!"

Emperor Chongzhen said: "Bi Maokang is available, pass the decree, and summon the official Bi Maokang to recover!"

However, in the end, it still has to be settled in terms of food and salaries. Without food and salaries, everything is done on paper, and the ministers are also powerless.

After they resigned, Emperor Chongzhen sighed deeply, seeing that the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil, but he was powerless.

……

Led by Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, the group of ministers came out from Dongnuan Pavilion. Everyone was silent along the way, each thinking about their own thoughts. In the end, Zhou Yanru stroked his beard and spoke to Zheng Sanjun, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and Ni Yuanlu, Minister of the Household Department. He smiled and said, "It's fine today, you two elders, why don't you go to the house and have a few drinks?"

Zheng Sanjun and Ni Yuanlu forced smiles on their faces: "Forget it, I'll wait for the last seat, let's have a few drinks with my lord."

Here Dongge University scholar Chen Yan also took a few steps, seeing Zhou Yanru and the others gathered together, his eyes flashed coldly, and smiled to Wei Zaode beside him: "I heard that Wei Shilang has recruited a group of beauties. Different? Acting, I have long been yearning for it, and I must see a thing or two today."

Wei Zaode said with a low smile: "It's better to be alone than to be happy. The next official will sweep the couch and wait for the high-ranking one."

Soon, it was time for the rest of the class. Qipan Street is a place where the palaces of various princes, the Six Departments of the Court, the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies, Jinyiwei and other places are gathered. It rushed out, and the teahouses and restaurants everywhere were full.

As the weather got colder, the business of these wine shops became better, which was in stark contrast to the refugees and beggars everywhere in Beijing.

In a restaurant on Wangfu Street, there was endless applause. All the diners heard that the scholar was singing the newspaper up and down. Everyone’s faces were full of joyful expressions. Listen carefully to the movement below.

Hearing the bursts of applause from downstairs, one person finally couldn't help it. He slammed his wine glass on the table and said bitterly: "Look at the pride of these southern barbarians. The king thief just defeated the Mongols. It seems Then he is invincible, and even the Jingbian army can destroy our Qing Dynasty in one year, which is really tolerable, what can't be tolerated!"

The rest of the people were also outraged. A man in his 50s was staring intently at an official sedan passing by below. He heard the words and shouted: "Speak carefully!"

He listened carefully to the movement around him, and the rest of the people also came to their senses, and they were equally quiet. After a long time, the man said: "At present, the officials of the Ming Dynasty in the capital keep one eye on our existence, but Wang Dou The Intelligence Department is really powerful, be careful not to fall into the trap!"

He asked one person, "Has the information spread out?"

The man said: "Even newspapers and other things have been sent to Liaodong along the Tianjin waterway."

The man hummed, with a look of worry on his face. After a long time, he said, "Go downstairs, in batches, and take different paths."

Not long after, everyone in the lounge went downstairs in twos and threes. The man in his fifties, dressed as a wealthy businessman, also walked downstairs slowly.

"Master, go slowly!"

The waiter in the lobby nodded and bowed to the man. The current situation is getting worse and worse, and the restaurant cannot let go of any potential customers, not to mention that this man seems to be a high-end person.

Near the door in the lobby, a middle-aged man read carefully with a newspaper. His newspaper was spread wide, completely covering his head and face. He didn't put down the newspaper until the man walked out of the door, and walked towards the place calmly. The person's back cast a glance.

The idlers at the door nodded imperceptibly, humming a little song and walked there slowly or quickly.

After another quarter of an hour, the middle-aged man also put down the newspaper and went out of the building, and his newspaper was happily taken away by the person next to him.

……

At the end of September in the 15th year of Chongzhen, Shengjing, Chongzheng Hall.

In the luxurious hall, Emperor Dorgon of Shunzhi laughed loudly, and the news came from the pond that the Qing army, led by Duoduo and Abatai, was so powerful that they not only attacked the sea at the easternmost end of North Korea , and even with the cooperation of the surrendered North Korean naval forces, they broke through Jianghua Island in one fell swoop and captured all the Korean monarchs and ministers on it. It can be said that North Korea has perished.

Although I heard that the war in Guihua City is unfavorable, and the Outer Fan Mongolia does not exist, but in exchange for the destruction of the North Korea in the east of the Qing Dynasty and the capture of their Dingkou people, Dorgon thinks it is worth it. After all, the Outer Fan Mongolia has only a small population. How much is North Korea?
He even read what was said in the Xuanfu Times that there is a mountain of silver in Japan, and the gold and silver are piled up into mountains. Wouldn't he be moved?
What is the Qing Dynasty afraid of mere Japanese pirates?Japan will be the next target of the Qing Dynasty in the future!
From his ancestors, Dorgon also knew that the Jurchen ancestors did not fail to attack Japan. Even when North Korea was still called Koryo, the Jurchen people in Manchuria would often take small boats, fifty or sixty, Hundreds and thousands of them attacked Tsushima Island, Iki, Bodou Bay and the coastal areas of Japan. Japan was famously frightened and called this alien race "Dao Yi".

The ancestors of "Dao Yi" could do it, but how could the Qing Dynasty not be able to do it?

Seeing all the officials below singing their praises, Dorgon only felt great achievements. After the old slave left, he was supposed to be the successor, but was snatched away by Huang Taiji. The hateful thing is that Huang Taiji was defeated in Songshan. In order to stabilize the situation, he himself The humiliating year name "Shunzhi" had to be used.

But now I have done what Huang Taiji has not done, this is great!
I am originally the heir of the Datong, so this is the Datong!

After being fueled by Shi Ningwan, the University of Hongwen Academy, Dorgon felt that the Shunzhi reign was no longer worthy of him, so he must change the reign.

Looking at the ministers, he said loudly and majesticly: "I have decided to change the year name to Xuantong, and next year will be the first year of Xuantong!"

(End of this chapter)