Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

In the afternoon, Zhu Qiyu returned to the Beijing military training ground.

About two thousand elite soldiers were already lined up in the square.

Upon seeing Zhu Qiyu, the two thousand men knelt down in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

They were dressed in uniform light blue outfits and wore standard-issue long swords at their waists.

These people were selected from the reserve troops and anti-Japanese forces mobilized from Shandong, Henan, Hebei and other places.

Age between 20 and 35.

They were all strong and healthy, and all came from respectable families with no criminal record within three generations.

Most importantly, their highest military rank before that was no more than a thousand households.

He was a mid-to-lower-ranking officer in the military and had almost no connection with the elite clique in Beijing.

Yu Qian reported to Zhu Qiyu: "Your Majesty, these are the two thousand selected men."

"I have conducted a preliminary assessment, and all of them are capable of drawing a strong bow and wielding a broadsword. More than half of them have participated in bandit suppression and have seen bloodshed."

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Minister Yu, you may go. I will personally conduct the assessment next."

Yu Qian hesitated, "This..."

"What, you don't trust the people you've chosen?"

"Your subject takes his leave."

Zhu Qiyu looked at the two thousand people below: "Rise. I have summoned you today to select a group of loyal and brave men to serve as my personal guards."

But the Imperial Guards are no ordinary people; they must possess extraordinary abilities.

I will set up three tests; those who pass will be retained, and those who excel will be richly rewarded.

Those who fail will be returned to their original camps, and will still be rewarded according to their merits; there is no need for concern.

Zhu Qiyu pointed to one side of the training ground: "The first test is physical strength and martial arts. Do you see those stone locks?"

The lightest weighs fifty pounds, and the heaviest weighs two hundred pounds.

Each person must lift a 100-pound stone lock over their head and hold it for ten breaths.

Then we will compete in swordsmanship, archery, and horsemanship, and I will personally judge the results.

These stone locks were used by Zhu Qiyu during his previous forging.

I specially ordered someone to bring it over today.

The first event, weightlifting, eliminated nearly a hundred people.

It's not that I can't lift it, but that my posture is unstable or I can't hold it for ten breaths.

Zhu Qiyu carefully observed everyone's performance and noted down several outstanding individuals.

A man of short stature but exceptionally sturdy build easily lifted a 120-pound stone weight without batting an eye.

A slender young man, skilled in archery and horsemanship, fired three arrows in quick succession, each hitting the bullseye from a hundred paces away.

There was also a middle-aged man wielding two swords. His swordsmanship was sharp and skillful, and it was clear that he was different from the professors at the garrison, obviously having received guidance from a famous master.

The first stage is over, with over 1,700 people remaining.

"The second test will assess tactics and adaptability."

Zhu Qiyu ordered several sand tables to be brought in, which simulated the terrain of Beijing's city defenses.

"You will form teams of 100 and each team will elect its own captain."

I have presented several scenarios of enemy attack. Each team must discuss and devise a response plan within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and then explain it to me.

This test assesses command ability and tactical thinking.

Some people may be highly skilled in individual martial arts, but they are completely clueless when it comes to troop deployment.

Some people, on the other hand, are able to quickly grasp the key points and offer reasonable suggestions.

Zhu Qiyu paid special attention to a commander named Zhou Bin.

This person was only in his early thirties, but he performed exceptionally well in the sand table simulation.

Not only are they thorough in their considerations, but they can also accurately predict possible changes in the enemy's forces.

Zhu Qiyu ordered the more than 1,100 people who had passed the first two tests to line up again: "I will ask you three questions. You must answer truthfully and without reservation."

First, if I were to order you to lead your troops out of the city to fight back during a siege, knowing that the chances of survival are slim, would you obey?

Second, if, after the war, someone offers you a large sum of money to give up your war merits to someone else, would you accept?

Third, if one day my orders conflict with those of your direct superior, whose orders will you obey?

After a moment of silence, the crowd began to answer one after another.

The middle-aged man wielding two swords was named Han Cheng. He replied, "If Your Majesty commands me to go out of the city to fight, I will obey."

Before leaving the city, I will ask Your Majesty to allow me to make proper arrangements for my affairs, not out of fear of death, but to fulfill my duty.

As for my war merits, I earned them myself with every sword and spear, and I will not give them to anyone else.

If Your Majesty's orders differ from those of your superior, I believe Your Majesty is wise and your superior is a loyal minister; the order must have been given incorrectly.

"His Majesty's decree shall still be followed. A report shall be submitted after the battle, and those who relayed the orders shall be held accountable."

This was a response that would offend neither side, and Zhu Qiyu shook his head inwardly.

Another young man named Li Yan gave a more direct answer: "If His Majesty orders us to fight to the death, we will fight to the death; if His Majesty orders us to die, we will die."

I cannot relinquish my war merits; they were earned with my blood.

If His Majesty's orders conflict with those of his superior, then the superior must be wrong. Listen to His Majesty!

Upon hearing this answer, Zhu Qiyu nodded in satisfaction.

Some answers required following orders from superiors.

Under normal circumstances, these people might be qualified soldiers, but they were not the kind of people Zhu Qiyu wanted.

After three rounds of assessments, Zhu Qiyu selected the best from among these people and finalized a list of 800.

Zhu Qiyu recalled Yu Qian to discuss the matter.

Yu Qian stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, there are indeed promising talents among these eight hundred men."

Zhou Bin is well-versed in military strategy, Li Yan is brave and upright, and the sharpshooter Zhao Ping and the strongman Wang Meng are all capable of being used.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "I also favor these men. Minister Yu, where do you think we should place these eight hundred men?"

This is to give this group of people a title, since they are going to be brought into the palace.

If he remained a sergeant in the Beijing Garrison, it would inevitably give others ammunition to criticize him.

Yu Qian pondered and said, "According to the regulations, the emperor's personal guards should be divided into twenty-six guards."

In the Battle of Tumu Fortress, apart from the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital, almost all other guards were wiped out.

Since their duty is to protect the Emperor, they will be incorporated into the vanguard of the Imperial Guard.

The structure of the Ming Dynasty emperor's personal guard underwent several adjustments.

In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign (1389), Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty officially established the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Bodyguard.

In the thirty-fifth year of the Hongwu reign, after Emperor Taizong of Ming, Zhu Di, ascended the throne, he merged the original three guards of Beiping into the Imperial Guard, thus expanding the Imperial Guard to fifteen guards.

In the fourth year of the Yongle reign, Emperor Taizong merged the seven guards of the Beiping Military Command into the Imperial Guard.

In the eighth year of the Xuande reign, Emperor Zhu Zhanji of the Ming Dynasty reorganized the horse-breeding soldiers of the Shenwu Vanguard and the various guards of the Imperial Guard into the Tengxiang Left Guard, Tengxiang Right Guard, Wuxiang Left Guard, and Wuxiang Right Guard.

The Imperial Guard was thus increased to twenty-six guards, with the original twelve guards now known as the "Upper Twelve Guards".

The Imperial Guards served as the training ground for the other twenty-five guards, and were therefore also known as the "Young Army".

At its peak, half of the officers in the other guards came from the vanguard of the imperial guard.

After the Tumu Crisis, a large number of soldiers from the Imperial Guard were transferred to other guard units to supplement the troops.

The new vanguard of the government troops had not yet been recruited, which perfectly met Zhu Qiyu's requirements.

Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up: "Great idea!"

Once fully organized, the vanguard of the government army could reach 20,000 to 30,000 men.

In addition, there was the infiltration of other guards by the officers of the Imperial Guard.

Zhu Qiyu believed that it wouldn't be long before the entire Twenty-Six Guards would truly become his personal guard.

Zhu Qiyu then asked, "What about Zhou Bin? He has the highest tactical skills and was originally a commander of a thousand, so it's only natural that he would be promoted to commander."

"Zhou Bin is indeed capable, but he is still relatively inexperienced and may find it difficult to gain the respect of the public."

It would be better to appoint Han Cheng as commander and Zhou Bin as assistant commander.

Han Cheng is mature and steady, and enjoys high prestige in the military; he can keep things under control.

Zhu Qiyu hesitated for a moment, thinking about Han Cheng's answer, but in the end he listened to Yu Qian's advice.

"As the Minister said, Li Yan, Zhao Ping, Wang Meng and others are all appointed as commanders of a thousand men, each leading a squad, and are to report to the vanguard of the government army tomorrow."

After explaining the arrangements for the eight hundred people, Zhu Qiyu returned to the palace.

As soon as he sat down, Cheng Jing hurried over: "Your Majesty, someone from Renshou Palace has come to deliver a message, saying that the Empress Dowager requests Your Majesty's presence to discuss important matters."

Zhu Qiyu frowned slightly.

Why did Empress Dowager Sun seek him out at this time?

Previously, Zhu Qiyu only dealt with a minor eunuch in the Renshou Palace incident, ignoring the person in charge, Liu Shun.

This is already considered giving Mrs. Sun a lot of face.

Zhu Qiyu hummed in agreement: "Understood, I will be there shortly."