The end of the Ming Dynasty swept the world

Chapter 649

Ding Yi went to Denglai in late May and formally took up the post of commander-in-chief of Denglai. At the same time, he convened various ministries to start inspections to learn about Denglai's military affairs.

The general soldier of Denglai said that he was in charge of the two prefectures of Denglai, but in fact there were not many troops under his control.

After Xu Fuzuo left, in addition to the Yanxiong Department of the Dengzhou Battalion, the Dengzhou side was managed by Ding Yi. There were 3000 people from Dengzhou Navy General Zhao Kejiao, 2000 Laizhou General Xu Yuanqi, and several counties. Some defensive guerrillas have about 500 men, and the total is less than [-]. They are basically from Laizhou, because the Dengzhou battalion soldiers were all destroyed after the military chaos. (The newly built Dengzhou battalion was Wang Weizhong's department , the soldiers and horses in other counties were unified into Wang Weizhong's department) In Dengzhou, there are only thousands of military households, and all of them are Ding Yi's people.

In fact, there are [-] officers and soldiers registered in Denglai, and the imperial court pays [-], and most of them have been emptied.

On May 5, Ding Yi summoned a total of 20 people from all prefectures and counties in Denglai to the generals and above the garrison at the Denglai General Army Mansion in Dengzhou.

Among them is an old acquaintance, the navy general Zhao Kejiao.

In the past few years, Ding Yi and Zhao Kejiao have cooperated very well. They often borrowed the navy's boat to help transport refugees and supplies. Later, only refugees were transported. The supplies were transported by Ding Yi's boat, and Zhao Kejiao was paid per person per boat.

When Zhao Kejiao saw Ding Yi again, he was also in mixed emotions. Back then, everyone was the capital, but in a blink of an eye, he was the chief soldier, and he was his boss.

"Brother Zhao, long time no see, hahaha, sit down quickly." Ding Yi was as polite as usual, Zhao Kejiao was a little restrained, and hurriedly cupped his fists to greet him.

At that time, many garrisons and guerrillas had not yet arrived, and the two chatted first. Ding Yi knew that Denglai used to have a navy, but only Yu Dengzhou later.

At the peak of the Denglai Navy, there were several hundred ships, at least a few ships, and now there are more than 60 ships, and most of them are old and old. In the past year, the Ming court added a new ship of [-] materials to them , very miserable.

Originally, there was also a naval division in Laizhou, which was dedicated to transporting food to Lushun. Later, after Ding Yi became the general soldier of Dongjiang, his relationship with the imperial court became worse and worse.

Fortunately, they had nothing to do with naval battles, and they only participated in Kong Youde back then, so they had nothing to do and could handle it.

Now supervising the transportation of Liao's salary, and helping Ding Yi transport the refugees, life is going well.

Ding Yi's heart was moved at that time, all Liao's salaries departed from Dengzhou?How dare Chongzhen refuse to pay me Dongjiang?

He didn't know that Xu Fu was in charge of this in the past, but now he understands after asking.

There are usually two types of shipping and land transportation for the Ming court to transport Liao rates. Sea transportation is in spring and summer, and land transportation is in cold winter.

There are three places for sea transportation, one is Shandong, the other is Tianjin, and the other is Huaiyang.

Huaiyang is in danger of becoming a mountain, so it can only transport 30 stones at most. (Big boats are not easy to go, and small boats are limited)

Tianjin is 30 shi. Because it is close to Zhima Bay and in Jiyongmi and other places, the grain in Hesan Town is generally 60 million shi.

Shandong is 60 shi.

This is the index allocated by the imperial court.

There are also regulations in Shandong for shipping rates. For each ship carrying a thousand shi of grain, fourteen sailors must be used, [-] shi for eleven, and [-] shi for seven or eight. How many sailors are needed to transport more grain depends on It is a court rule.

Every time the salary is shipped, a sailor settles down five taels, and the wages are 18 taels.

"So many?" Ding Yi's expression changed slightly.

He said that there are two meanings, one is that the cost is high, and the other is that there are many benefits.

Let me talk about the cost first.

For example, Tianjin transports 30 shi a year for Liao's salary. Calculated as a thousand shi ship, 4000 ships are required. According to court practice, each ship has [-] sailors, that is, [-] or [-] people will be used.

The settling fee for each sailor is 18 taels, and the salary is 23 taels. One person is 600 taels. The annual cost is [-] taels.

I don't know if I don't do this business, but Ding Yi was shocked when he came into contact with grain transportation.

The Ming Dynasty transported 30 stone grains at a cost close to 10 taels of silver.

If Ding Yi had known earlier, he would have told the court directly that the Liao pay package will be shipped to me, and I only need 5 taels, no, 3 taels.

How much is 30 stone grain worth?Nearly a third of the cost, a quarter too.

This is still a waterway, the cost is relatively low, and the cost of land is higher.

No wonder in ancient times, when one hundred thousand stone grains were transported to the front, it was not bad to have five or sixty thousand grains left.

But Ding Yi really wanted to contract to transport grain, but no one would agree.

Who accounted for such a high cost?Of course, it was calculated by various important officials of the capital.

Sure enough, Zhao Kejiao seemed to understand what Ding Yi meant, and immediately told Ding Yi the inside story.

The court price was 23 taels for a sailor, but from the household department, it was only 18 taels.

After arriving in the provinces and coming out of the Chief Secretary, it is 12 taels.

In the end, when I went to the navy, I paid the navy eight taels.

Zhao Kejiao deducted another four taels, and the sailors got two taels of settling allowance, two taels of wages, and four taels in hand.

According to Zhao Kejiao's meaning, Xu Fu had to play two of the four liang before.

Take a look, take a look, you Ding Yi still want to contract 3 taels to transport grain?Who would care about you in the Ming Dynasty? If you really want to contract 3 taels to you, how many officials in the court want to curse Ding Yi, won't this cut off their money.

The entire Ming Dynasty was rotten. Officials at all levels ate the benefits of the country like moths, and they could make a large group of people rich with a Liao salary.

Ding Yi yelled that he was at a disadvantage. It turned out that Xu Fuzuo had made a lot of money after serving as the general soldier of Denglai for so many years.

The quota in Shandong is 60 shi, and the sailors required are [-].

In fact, according to what Zhao Kejiao said, many thousand-stone ships can be driven by eleven sailors, even with less than fourteen sailors.

The extra money for the three sailors is also at different levels.

Even if there are 6000 sailors, as Xu Fuzuo, the commander-in-chief of Denglai, each sailor can be divided into [-] taels, which means [-] taels of silver a year.

Xu Fuzuo has been doing it for at least four or five years. This guy is very rich.

He also helped Xu gather [-] elite soldiers and gave away all the soldiers for nothing. Ding Yi instantly felt that he was bleeding.

But Ding Yi had to admit that the Ming Dynasty was really chaotic at this time, and it could make money by transporting food and salaries, and it was extremely dark.

After Zhao Kejiao finished speaking, Ding Yi had black lines on his face, as if he was unhappy.

He thought for a while, then gritted his teeth: "Mr. Ding, from now on, I guarantee that you will get at least 8000 taels a year."

He thought that in order to improve the relationship with Ding Yi, he would take less and give more to Ding Yi.

"Hehe." Ding Yi smiled, you think too much, it will all be mine in the future.

But at this time, he didn't say anything, the provincial influence Zhao Kejiao's mood, he smiled meaningfully, Zhao Kejiao thought Ding Yi agreed, so he also laughed.

After a while, Xu Yuanqi and other guards from all over Denglai came. Everyone came in, first met Ding Yi, and then handed gifts, all of which were money of filial piety.

This is the first time Ding Yi has come out to sit in town, and he did not expect to have these benefits.

It feels really good to watch the people below give gifts with low eyebrows and pleasing eyes.

No wonder everyone is going to be a leader.

He gave a lot to others in the past, so he will naturally be impolite, so he will accept all of them first.

Everyone saw that the new general soldier was easy to talk to, as long as he was willing to take money.

After all the generals sat down, Ding Yi waved his hand: "Come here."

Yan Xiong came out, holding a plate in his hand, which contained a pen, paper, and an inkstone.

This pen is their newly made quill pen. After the front is sharpened and processed, it can write with ink.

Yan Xiong picked up the pen, as if he was about to write something down.

"Report your names one by one, how many soldiers and horses your subordinates have received from the imperial court, and how many soldiers and horses you actually have."

After Ding Yi finished speaking, the scene was quiet, everyone looked at me and I looked at you, with embarrassed expressions.

Zhao Kejiao and Ding Yi knew each other the earliest, and had more contact with Ding Yi, so they naturally knew who he was.

He hesitated for a while, and immediately said: "The last general will come first."

"Denglai and Naval Division pay 700, but the actual number is [-]."

It turned out that it was less than three thousand, which was less than half.

"En." Ding Yi nodded, and Yan Xiong wrote it down.

The generals were helpless, and there must be a roster in the commander-in-chief, so they had to report their numbers one after another.

Yan Xiong wrote down one by one.

Ding Yi asked again: "Are you all training? How many soldiers are there capable of fighting?"

The crowd looked at each other again.

Ding Yi asked again: "How much is the monthly salary for ordinary soldiers?"

Everyone, look at me and I look at you. It was Zhao Kejiao who first said that each sailor has one stone of rice and two catties of salt per month.

However, someone from Zhao Kejiao said on the spot that the navy transported food, and there would be consumption on the way, so the life of the navy was not too bitter, and there was food to eat.

In addition, the imperial court verified that each sailor had two stones of rice and two catties of salt per month.

Ding Yi calculated after the fact that the generals of the Ming Dynasty were very rich, and like Zhao Kejiao, the sailors were less than [-], and their salary was deducted, and they could easily earn tens of thousands of silver a year.

Of course, they will use a large part of the money to support their family, and part of it will be to honor their superiors like Xu Fuzuo.

Calculated in this way, Xu Fuzuo, the commander in chief of Denglai, is really rich, and Ding Yi felt that he was losing money.

"How many fields do you have locally?" Ding Yi asked again.

This is different for each person, because the transfer of generals is still relatively frequent, and most people don't like to hoard fields, but only like money.

There is also a small amount of Huitian, which will be sold to cash in silver when it is transferred away.

Everyone at the scene said all kinds of things, and they didn't know whether it was true or not, but Ding Yi didn't care about the truth, he just wanted to hear the truth about the Daming Army Camp.

After hearing it, people will understand why the Ming army has been defeated in every battle. If it were you, you would not be willing to work hard. The fat ones are all generals.

Ding Yi is now doing the calculations for Xu Fu. This bastard has earned at least 5000 taels when he was the general of Denglai for a year.

No wonder this bastard raised five hundred servants, but unfortunately, in the battle of Qingshuibo, all his servants were wiped out.

After Ding Yi listened, he thought for a while, then stretched out his hand to call Yan Xiong, and handed him the paper just now.

The generals in the hall looked at each other, not knowing what Ding Yi, the chief soldier, was thinking.

After looking at it for a long time, Ding Yi suddenly asked: "Looking at this town, you all have served as generals for many years. If you retire now, you will all be very rich."

All the generals changed color.

Ding Yi said to himself again: "My Ming Dynasty is currently suffering from internal and external troubles, and the wind and rain are precarious. This time, the Qing soldiers rushed into the hinterland of Shandong."

"It's also lucky for you all not to be transferred to the guards, otherwise the entire army will be wiped out and die in battle."

Everyone's expressions changed again, and some people already showed a pensive expression.

"I think that's fine." Ding Yi said loudly at this time: "You take the money well, don't care about the affairs, and take care of your life. If you send troops to fight in the future, you will be sent by the soldiers and horses of this town. Wouldn't it be wonderful?"

There was silence, deathly silence.

Zhao Kejiao's face was also pale, he thought for a while, and finally couldn't help it, and asked in a low voice: "Dare to ask the master, how to retire?"

He used to call Ding Yi brothers and sisters before, but when he suddenly called the master, he was very cautious and flustered.

Ding Yi didn't change his face, and said lightly: "You and your family will all move to Dengzhou."

"This town will send someone to pay for your training."

"Your money is due every month, one tael is not too much."

Several guerrillas and guards blushed, not knowing whether it was fear, panic, or anger.

Lu Wenshan, a guerrilla in Changyi, looked around, and said bravely, "I don't know, sir, what are the silver taels you are referring to?"

At that time, Kong Youde's rebellious army failed to take down Changyi, which was also the stronghold of the Ming army's counterattack. Zhu Dadian finally counterattacked in Changyi and gathered tens of thousands of troops to attack Kong Youde's troops.

Therefore, Lu Wenlong felt that he was quite a fool, you, Ding Yi, don't look too ugly, tell me exactly how much money you have?

"According to the imperial court system, the guerrilla month is 9 taels, and this town will give you 120 taels a year."

Lu Wenshan's face became even redder, and his neck also turned red. He stood up abruptly: "Nothing else?"

Ding Yi turned his head sharply, staring at him coldly: "What else does Lu Gueran want?"

With a plop, Lu Wenlong sat back on his seat, feeling that his back was full of sweat.

He glanced slightly from the corner of his eye, and at some point, two elite soldiers in armor were already standing behind him.

"No, no, little one, just ask, ask." He was so frightened that he didn't dare to call himself the last general, and even the little one called out.

"I'm done talking, who has any objections?" Ding Yi stood up at this moment and looked up in all directions.

All the generals trembled, and no one dared to speak.

Some people opened their mouths to speak, but dared not.

"If you have no objection, write a letter to your family members. If you can't write, take a token. I'll ask the soldiers to send the letter back to your home and pick up your family members. That's it, let's go." Ding Yi turned around and strode and go.

These people came with their servants, and Ding Yi's soldiers rushed away. They first unarmed and then talked with each other. They were honest and detained temporarily.

Ding Yi seized the military power as soon as he came up, and he really caught them by surprise. It must be that no general soldier has ever done this in history.

From their point of view, Ding Yi's food looks too ugly.

In fact, if Ding Yi raises soldiers according to the number of people paid by the court, he will have to raise another 8000 people.

Although the imperial court will issue part of it, he will also have to pay a lot of money and materials.

But in order to completely control Denglai, all these money must be spent.

Moreover, some of these leading generals have a lot of fertile land.

Among the generals detained this time, Zhao Kejiao and Xu Yuanqi had the most troops.

It was around two o'clock that afternoon.

Du Ruhai's 3000 cavalry, Jia Yanxiong's [-] soldiers and horses, a total of [-] people rushed in and rushed into the Dengzhou naval camp.

Ding Yi detained everyone above the garrison of the navy camp, and the others were jumping around, not knowing what happened.

Yan Xiong ordered all the remaining officers to gather in the name of Denglai General Military Mansion.

(End of this chapter)