Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Zhu Qiyu had always had a question in his mind.

Historically, after the Tumu Crisis, the Ming Dynasty's military system began to shift from the garrison system to a large-scale recruitment system.

It can be said that the Zhengtong era was the time when the accumulated problems of the military garrisons erupted on a large scale.

A large number of garrison soldiers deserted.

Zhu Qizhen led an army of 200,000 elite troops, which was said to be a force of 500,000.

Where did all these people come from?

After the war, Zhu Qiyu also received the Ministry of War's analysis of the case regarding the defeat at the Battle of Tumu Fortress.

However, there are conflicting points in the analysis report.

Judging from the troop deployment records, tens of thousands of troops were indeed conscripted from various garrisons.

Together with the elite troops of the three major battalions, they formed what was known as 200,000 elite soldiers.

However, the Ministry of War learned from some deserters and generals that the troop strength was not as large as publicly announced.

A soldier from Tongzhouwei said that fewer than two thousand of them came to Beijing together.

This answered some of Zhu Qiyu's questions.

But what followed was even greater anger.

The actual number of troops was insufficient, but the allocated military supplies were genuinely matched to 500,000 people.

Warehouses throughout Beijing were gradually emptied out!

If Zhu Qizhen's trip goes smoothly.

How many supplies will ultimately be returned to the warehouse?

That Wang Zhen deserves to die!

Zhu Qizhen deserved to die too!

Therefore, Zhu Qiyu ordered Yu Qian to send people to various garrisons near the capital to investigate the specific situation.

Yu Qian cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I sent people to investigate several garrisons near the capital, and what they found was shocking."

Taking Tongzhou Guard as an example, the original number of soldiers was 5,600, but now there are less than 3,000 registered soldiers.

Of these, fewer than 1,500 accompanied the Emperor on his campaign.

However, the commander of Tongzhou Guard reported that 3,000 people had been conscripted.

The situation was similar in the other military outposts.

After Yu Qian finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Zhu Qiyu sighed: "Junior Protector Yu, if I want to reorganize the garrisons, where should I begin?"

Yu Qian replied, "I believe we should begin by investigating and clearing out the military farms."

The military garrison farms were essential for the soldiers' food and clothing, and those that were encroached upon must be recovered.

This matter involves the widest range of people and faces the greatest resistance, but it is also the most fundamental issue.

If the military farms are not cleared, the soldiers will never have enough to eat.

If they are not well-fed, they will lose their will to train and will think about escaping.

The more deserters there are, the more severe the vacancy becomes, and the heavier the burden on the remaining soldiers, creating a vicious cycle.

Therefore, this is the fundamental solution.

Zhu Qiyu nodded: "Anything else?"

"The second step is to take stock of the military strength."

The exact number of personnel in each garrison and the number of vacancies must be thoroughly investigated.

Those who receive salaries without working will have their ill-gotten gains recovered and will be severely punished.

Departed military households are given a deadline to return to their posts; those who fail to return by the deadline will be removed from the military register and their outstanding rations and pay from previous years will be recovered.

Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and said, "Recover the owed grain and salary? Those deserter soldiers are already poor, where would they get the money and grain to recover?"

Yu Qian said, "Therefore, the key is to return to Wei within a specified period."

If a deserter soldier returns to the garrison within a specified period, his past transgressions will be forgiven and he will be allowed to continue his duties as usual.

If they fail to return by the deadline, they will be discharged from the military and their debts will be recovered.

If the recovered funds cannot be recovered, the family members shall make compensation on their behalf.

Those without relatives would have their farmland confiscated by the government and redistributed.

Zhu Qiyu nodded.

This is a carrot and a stick approach: those who return to the capital will be pardoned, while those who do not will be removed from the register and their property confiscated.

For those deserting military households, returning to the garrison at least offered a way to survive, while not returning meant certain death.

Moreover, if the reform is successful, being registered as a resident is far better than being unregistered.

Yu Qian continued, "We will once again rectify military discipline and conduct rigorous assessments."

Officers of each garrison must undergo regular assessments.

Those who perform poorly in the performance evaluation will be demoted, while those who perform well will be promoted.

Anyone found to have illegally occupied military farmland, privately employed soldiers, or drawn up positions without working will be dismissed and arrested.

Zhu Qiyu nodded slightly and looked at Jin Lian: "Minister Jin, can the Ministry of Revenue cooperate with the investigation of the military farms?"

Jin Lian stepped forward and replied, "Yes, the Ministry of Revenue has the Yellow Registers of Military Farms in various regions."

Although it hasn't been updated for many years, it can still serve as a basic record.

Simply send people to each garrison to conduct on-site inspections, and the difference can be compared to determine the amount embezzled.

Zhu Qiyu then looked at Yu Qian: "A comprehensive investigation of all the garrisons at once would be too much of a burden. I plan to start with two places. Which one do you think would be suitable?"

Yu Qian said, "I believe that Xuanfu Qianwei and Jizhou Zhenshuowei are suitable candidates."

These two guards were close to the capital, making them easy for the imperial court to control.

Furthermore, Yang Hong, the General Commander of Xuanfu, and Li Ming, the General Commander of Jizhou, are both extremely loyal and will certainly not obstruct the investigation.

Zhu Qiyu added, "I also want to take the opportunity of reorganizing the garrisons to gradually replace the generals of the border towns."

Upon hearing this, all the court officials froze in shock.

Zhu Qiyu continued, "In the nine important border towns, the generals are mostly hereditary nobles or veteran generals."

They have guarded the border for many years and made great contributions; I have no intention of being harsh on them.

However, some people hold positions without doing any work.

They turned a blind eye to the officers' encroachment on farmland and the private exploitation of soldiers.

"Lord Yu, if I were to replace one or two generals, who should I choose?"

Yu Qian bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the matter of changing the commander-in-chief must be handled with utmost care."

The nine border towns are crucial to the safety of the nation.

If the commander-in-chief is not replaced properly, the border will be unstable, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Zhu Qiyu: "I know, so I don't plan to change everything all at once."

Start by replacing the most disobedient ones.

I have heard that Ren Li, the General Commander of Gansu, is the son of Ren Heng, a hero of the Jingnan Campaign, and inherited the title of Earl of Huining.

This person repeatedly exaggerated his military achievements.

Officials in the court impeached him many times.

Because he was a meritorious official and had made contributions on the frontier, each time the matter was dropped.

Yes or no?

Yu Qian was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Zhu Qiyu: "Alright, that's him then. Let Fan Guang go to Gansu to serve as the commander-in-chief."

Then let Han Cheng assist him.

In addition, the governor-general, the inspector, and the garrison eunuch of Gansu were all summoned back.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War discussed the matter and decided to send someone over again.

Zhu Qiyu's idea was very simple.

Since none of the previous governors could get things done, let's replace them all.

Zhu Qiyu then looked at all the ministers: "Is there anything else?"

Jin Lian took out a thick booklet from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Your subject, Jin Lian, Minister of Revenue, has a memorial to present."

Your Majesty, this is a summary of the national fiscal expenditures over the years, compiled by your subject.

I have marked all the redundant parts.

Cheng Jing took it and presented it to Zhu Qiyu.

Zhu Qiyu flipped through the booklet, reading line by line.

At the same time, Jin Lian also recounted: "In the thirteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, the Ministry of Revenue's total expenditure was approximately 3.2 million taels of silver."

Of this, the military pay for the nine border regions amounted to 900,000 taels.

The official salary was 680,000 taels.

The imperial family's stipend was approximately 1.5 million shi of rice, equivalent to about 500,000 taels of silver.

The cost of river works and grain transport was 210,000 taels.

Construction and repair cost 150,000 taels.

Other miscellaneous items: 110,000 taels.

The Imperial Household Department allocated 650,000 taels of silver for supplies.

Upon reviewing the old files, I discovered that several expenditures could be significantly reduced.

One problem is the excessive number of redundant officials and clerks in various princely residences, garrisons, and government offices.

These people were not officially employed by the imperial court, but they received wages and food allowances, which amounted to no less than 100,000 taels of silver per year.

If half of them are eliminated, 50,000 taels can be saved.

Secondly, the post stations in various places were too expensive.

The post stations were originally set up to deliver official documents and receive officials.

Nowadays, many officials abuse their power for personal gain, bringing their families and goods with them, and providing excessive supplies to post stations along the way.

The annual expenses of the post station were no less than 150,000 taels of silver.

If a thorough rectification is carried out, at least 50,000 taels can be saved.

Thirdly, there is a proliferation of ordination certificates for monks and Taoist priests.

There are hundreds of thousands of monks, nuns, and Taoist priests in the country. These people do not pay taxes or perform corvée labor, and they also occupy large amounts of land.

Every year, the imperial court allocates no less than 80,000 taels of silver to temples and monasteries for incense offerings and ordination certificates.

If the issuance of ordination certificates were suspended for three years, and redundant officials were eliminated, tens of thousands of taels of silver could be saved.

Zhu Qiyu listened and nodded.

To cut costs and increase revenue, it's essential to know exactly what expenses are involved.

Therefore, after proposing the sixteen policies, Jin Lian immediately immersed himself in the accounting of previous years' fiscal expenditures.