Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Zhu Qiyu looked at the ministers below who were bowing and responding in unison, and a cold smile crept across his face.

More than half of them are probably not acting out of a sense of justice.

The law is just a pretext; the real purpose is to suppress dissent.

The struggle between civil and military officials has always been the same throughout history.

However, Zhu Qiyu didn't care much about this, as these descendants of nobles were precisely the targets he wanted to eliminate.

This group of people is not only incompetent, but they also draw salaries without working, embezzle military funds, and even collude with merchants to smuggle weapons...

For example, Datong has more than 80,000 registered soldiers, but in reality, only about half of them are serving in the local area.

These sons of officials were receiving military pay for dozens of people all by themselves.

The entire Ming army has been corrupted by them.

Without eliminating these deep-seated problems, the Ming army could never truly become powerful.

A country without sufficient armed forces will only become prey.

Therefore, Zhu Qiyu's first step was to strengthen the army.

Take advantage of this opportunity to defend Beijing to train and promote new soldiers.

The military commander system of the Ming Dynasty needs a major overhaul.

Only when Zhu Qiyu personally took control of these armies could subsequent reforms gradually unfold.

Liu An was quickly dragged out of the main hall.

Yang Shan, who had just been speaking up for Liu An, had already knelt down along with the other officials.

As the saying goes, those who understand the times are the heroes.

Ultimately, what he cared about was the emperor's decree, not Liu An.

The sound of Liu An being dragged out of the main hall faded into the distance, and the Wenhua Hall returned to silence.

Zhu Qiyu looked at Shen Yi: "Minister Shen, I have a few more questions to ask."

How many people from nearby villages and towns have moved to Beijing to seek refuge?

How are their accommodations arranged?

Shen Yi quickly stepped forward and reported to Your Highness: "According to the statistics from the city gates, the population of the capital has increased by about 80,000 in the past half month."

Of these, over 50,000 sought refuge with relatives and friends, while approximately 30,000 had nowhere to go.

Zhu Qiyu frowned: "Where are those 30,000 people now?"

That's no small number. You have to understand that before the Tumu Crisis, Beijing's permanent population was only over 500,000 households.

Shen Yi lowered his voice: "Some are temporarily residing in temples and vacant houses in various parts of the outer city, while others are living in makeshift shelters in the streets and alleys."

Your Majesty has ordered the Shuntian Prefecture to open its granaries and distribute some rice porridge…

Zhu Qiyu interrupted Shen Yi: "As the autumn chill deepens, how can we sleep on the streets?"

By imperial decree, the Ministry of Works is ordered to immediately construct simple shacks in an open area outside the city, with the necessary timber and bricks to be provided by the official granary.

Each shed must be able to accommodate ten people and must have a roof to shelter them from the wind and rain.

Within ten days, I will see all refugees have a place to live.

Zhao Rong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, looked troubled: "Your Highness, most of the Ministry of Works' manpower is currently engaged in repairing the city walls and manufacturing military equipment, and I'm afraid we can't spare too many craftsmen..."

"Then recruit! Post notices that anyone who participates in building the shacks will be paid daily and provided with two meals."

Are there not enough idle laborers in the capital? This matter shall be handled by the Shuntian Prefecture, with the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue assisting.

Zhao Rong and Shen Yi exchanged a glance and replied in unison, "Your Majesty, we obey!"

Zhu Qiyu's expression softened slightly, and he continued, "Where are the reserve troops and anti-Japanese pirate troops mobilized from Shandong, Henan, Hebei, and other places? When will they arrive in the capital?"

Wu Ning, a senior official in the Ministry of War, stepped forward and reported: "Your Highness, I, Wu Ning, a senior official in the Ministry of War, report that some troops have arrived in the capital, while others are receiving their salaries in Tongzhou."

It is estimated that they will all arrive in Beijing before September 6th.

"Have the arrangements for these troops' lodgings been made after they enter Beijing?"

"Your Highness, the Ministry of War has made proper plans."

The outer city drill ground can accommodate 20,000 people, and the old camp of the five military camps in the inner city can accommodate 15,000 people.

The remaining troops were stationed in newly built camps outside the nine gates.

Minister Yu has strictly ordered all troops not to leave their camps after entering the city, and that all supplies must be procured and handled uniformly by the camp.

Officers who disobey orders will be demoted three ranks, and soldiers will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane.

A separate military law squad was set up to patrol the streets, and anyone found causing trouble was apprehended on the spot.

Zhu Qiyu nodded. With tens of thousands of troops suddenly entering the capital, if their discipline were lax, their destructive power would probably be greater than that of the Oirat Mongols.

Zhu Qiyu then inquired about the progress of city defense fortifications and weapons manufacturing, and officials from various departments reported back one by one.

By the time all the tasks were completed, it was nearly noon.

Zhu Qiyu stood up: "That's all for today. All of you, perform your duties and make sure you are fully prepared before the Oirat army arrives."

"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness!"

In the afternoon, Zhu Qiyu, accompanied by Xing An, arrived at the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War was bustling with activity, with officials and clerks moving back and forth, and piles of documents and maps everywhere.

Zhu Qiyu indicated that there was no need to announce his arrival and walked straight to the main hall.

Yu Qian and several Ministry of War officials were gathered around a huge map of Beijing's defenses, holding several small flags and simulating the deployment of defenses.

"Minister Yu".

Upon hearing the voice, Yu Qian turned around and saw that it was Zhu Qiyu. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, why have you come in person? You could have summoned me to the palace if you had something to discuss."

Zhu Qiyu waved his hand and walked to the map: "I just want to see how the Ministry of War operates. Also, I have some ideas about military system reform to discuss with you."

Yu Qian's eyes flickered, and he said to the officials beside him, "You all go ahead and get busy. Write down the defense plan that we just agreed on and submit it to me for review before evening."

Soon everyone left, leaving only Zhu Qiyu, Yu Qian, and Xing An standing at the door in the hall.

Yu Qian spoke first: "I wonder what Your Highness's views are on the military system?"

Zhu Qiyu did not answer immediately, but instead asked, "Minister Yu, what do you think was the main reason for the Ming Dynasty's defeat this time?"

Yu Qian paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Wang Zhen's abuse of power and arbitrary orders were the main cause, but there were other reasons as well..."

Having had a nighttime conversation at the Prince's Mansion a few days ago, Yu Qian held nothing back today.

Most of the current military commanders are sons of noble families, inheriting their fathers' military positions.

However, most of them were not skilled in archery or horsemanship, nor did they know anything about military affairs.

He spent his days in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, frequenting taverns and brothels.

It's common for military camps to have half of their positions vacant.

Embezzling salaries without working, misappropriating military funds, and reselling military equipment and horses—these corrupt practices have long since hollowed out the army's very foundation.

The truly capable and courageous soldiers are either suppressed and buried, or their fighting spirit is worn away by conformity.

The equipment was outdated, the firearms were poorly maintained, the warhorses were weak, and the provisions were adulterated...

Who in the entire court didn't know all this?

It's just that no one has dared to expose the truth.

Until the devastating defeat at Tumu Fortress ripped away all pretense of decency.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Well said. Since Minister Yu is already aware of these various problems, do you have any methods to reform them?"

A sharp glint flashed in Yu Qian's eyes: "To be honest, Your Highness, this is exactly what I have been thinking about day and night these past few days."

Our dynasty's military system was based on the garrison system, with troops drawn from the garrison to form battalions during wartime.

Although the reserve troops and anti-Japanese troops mobilized this time were slightly stronger than the regular troops of the garrison, they were still largely unfamiliar with combat.

Furthermore, the orders from different military camps were inconsistent, making it difficult to maintain a unified command.

Therefore, I have drafted a memorial on the reorganization of the Beijing Garrison, and I request Your Highness to review it.

As he spoke, he walked to the desk, pulled out a stack of papers covered with writing, and presented them to Zhu Qiyu.