Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 71
The Jingying is the last force to protect the capital and the imperial palace. Chongzhen will naturally not let it be in the hands of others, especially Zhu Chunchen, who is not worthy of trust and entrustment at all; now the domestic situation is gradually improving. The large-scale ravages of the Central Plains did not happen, and I also had a trustworthy armed force, the Yongwei Battalion. After taking the command of the Beijing Battalion from Zhu and Zhang, I handed it over to Xue Lian and Wei Shichun, who have proven themselves in history. , so that the home and family basically have no worries.

Xue Lian, who was sitting, got up and cupped his hands and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the minister's family has set out to go to the army. Although he is not in charge of military affairs today, he knows a lot about the army. Since my emperor has inquired about the subject, I will tell you bluntly. Others are involved, but for the sake of the royal family and Ming Dynasty, I know everything!"

Chongzhen nodded approvingly and said: "I know you are loyal, and today I am willing to listen to frank words."

Xue Lian continued: "Since Taizu set up the Beijing camp in the early years to defend the important places of the two capitals, although there have been many changes during the period, the importance of the Beijing camp has always been recognized by the courtiers. With tens of thousands of people, if it is managed properly, with strict military discipline, strict training, and proper food and wages, the Beijing camp will become a teacher that everyone in the world fears!"

"However, since the beginning of the Tianqi period, Wei Ni's party has controlled the government, dismissed honest and outspoken ministers, abused flatterers, and sent middle officials to supervise the affairs of the Beijing camp. Since then, the Beijing camp has been in decline; , I don’t know anything about the military affairs. Those generations abused the soldiers on a daily basis and deducted their salaries, so that the morale of the Beijing camp was low, and the soldiers’ resentment accumulated in their hearts; Since then, the governor of the house has been in charge of administration, and its decline has gradually slowed down!"

Chongzhen sat behind the imperial case and shook his head with a wry smile. Although Wei Zhongxian was scolded by the literati, he still did a lot of practical things when he was in charge of the court. In the military operations, he did not take advantage of it. For example, setting up mine supervisors and tax supervisors in the south of the Yangtze River, and using the financial and material resources of the rich land to feed back the imperial court's finances and the poor areas in the northwest. It was nothing more than a negation of the elder brother Emperor Tianqi. Although he won the applause of the Donglin Party members, since then, the revenue of the treasury has dropped sharply, the finances have been stretched, and he fell into embarrassment until he finally died.

Thinking of this, Chongzhen said: "According to Qing's words, what is the difference between the nobles and the middle officials who are in charge of the Beijing camp now? As far as I know, the current Beijing camp is no different from before!"

Xue Lian sighed, bowed and said, "My Majesty's words are also the truth. Forgive me for saying it bluntly. There is no one else, and no one can trust me!"

Wei Shichun also got up and cupped his hands and said: "Your minister and Yang Wuhou see the same thing, I hope my emperor will not think otherwise, Yang Wuhou is definitely not someone who is greedy for power and wants to replace him! What Yang Wuhou and my minister said is exactly the same." Out of a public heart! Please also invite me, Huang Mingjian!"

Chongzhen waved his hand and said: "I only invite two Qings to come here today, and I want to listen to what I say from the bottom of my heart. Besides, if I have never understood this, how can I say that I want to reorganize? Qing and others can tell the truth clearly, and I will distinguish between light and dark." !"

"Thank you, my emperor, for your tolerance!" After the two saluted and thanked, Xue Lian continued: "There are four disadvantages in today's Beijing camp; Like a warrior, but no different from a farmer!"

"Secondly, the soldiers who have reached the age should be replaced by their children, but the officials and servants went all out to ask for heavy bribes, so that the poor, old and weak soldiers flooded the camp!"

"Thirdly, wealthy soldiers are unwilling to participate in camp training, and bribe generals to list their names in their hometowns. Although their names are on the register and they receive their salary, they cannot be seen!"

"Fourth, there are too many vacancies for the soldiers, the rewards and punishments of the generals are unknown, the daily deduction is serious, and the soldiers are dissatisfied with each other for a long time. Once they go into battle, they will be defeated immediately!"

Chongzhen nodded deeply, and praised: "What Marquis Yang Wu said is true to the current problems in the Chinese army, which is almost the same as what I have heard! I didn't expect that Qing would not practice martial arts, and he would know all about the problems here! If you are high in the temple, you will worry about your king. ! It was really my mistake that I hid the pearl in the room!"

Xue Lian hurriedly saluted and said: "My emperor is Mingjun, how dare I talk about it with Mingzhu, it's just that in my spare time, people who are close to me in the army come to chat with me at the mansion, and after talking about this, I will know the evil here!"

Chongzhen waved him to sit down, and said, "Does Xue Qing know that there are still generals in the army who want to do something?"

Xue Lian said: "My Majesty knows that although the Beijing camp has been suffering for a long time, there are still loyal and brave men. Under the oppression of mediocre people, although they are depressed and unsuccessful, they still have the desire to work hard in their hearts. I only sigh that there is no way to serve the country! "

Wei Shichun also interjected: "My ancestors also came from the army, and there are a few acquaintances in the army who occasionally get together to drink and talk about the current situation in Ming Dynasty. Even with the title of earl, there is nothing he can do about it, and when there is no one in the middle of the night, he tosses and turns, sighing endlessly!"

Both of them like to read poetry and books on weekdays, both of them have extraordinary literary attainments, and their words and deeds are more like civil servants, but the blood of loyalty and bravery still flows in their blood vessels.

Chongzhen looked solemnly, staring at the two of them and said: "I want to hand over the Beijing camp to you two, and I want to see, in the near future, a good fighter with strict discipline, who can fight bravely, and never back down when encountering the enemy! Do you two dare to take on this important task?!"

Xue Lian and Wei Shichun were both in their thirties, and they were in their prime. They were unwilling to waste their lives in their hearts. Hearing the emperor's words, the two felt their blood boil. , Xue Lian's tone was solemn, and he said calmly: "The minister and Uncle Xuancheng are inseparable. When they talk on weekdays, they are also worried about the current crisis. They only hate that there is no way to serve the country! The minister has received more than two hundred favors from the emperor. In this year, when the country employs people, the ministers are willing to pour out their hearts and blood for my emperor, my Daming, to repay the kindness of my court for raising us!"

Chongzhen got up and walked around the imperial case and came to the front, bent down to help the two of them up, then stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the two with bright eyes and said: "With what you two said, I feel warm in my heart! As long as we With the concerted efforts of the monarchs and ministers, whether it is a traitor or a slave, it will be impossible to escape the fate of destruction! The people of my Ming Dynasty will no longer be displaced, and their wives and children will be separated!"

After saluting, Wei Shichun said: "Your majesty, the ministers and the others are not afraid of exiles and slaves, and they are also confident in training a brave teacher for my emperor, but the only worry at the moment is how to take over the capital camp, after all Cheng Guogong's mansion has great prestige in the army, and the two ministers suddenly stationed there, there may be accidents! Besides, Cheng Guogong has not committed any serious crimes, so what name does the emperor want to take back his military power?"

Chongzhen returned to the imperial case with his hands behind his back and sat down, waved his hands to let the two sit down, Xiao Huangmen held the teapot to refill the tea for the two, and the two sipped from the cups, their mouths were indeed a little dry after the remarks just now.

Chongzhen took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and said, "The government of the Duke of Cheng has enjoyed the grace of God for a long time. When the country is in crisis, and the treasury is exhausted, it still does not stop. It is still wantonly embezzling and embezzling the son. It is a felony that puts the family's self-interest above the righteousness of the country! I have already impeached Yushitai and Nakamoto, and I will never tolerate such people standing in the court!"

"Don't worry, you two, I have a perfect plan. I will send Wang Jiayan, the Minister of the Ministry of War, to lead a team to the Beijing camp for verification. Once it is verified, will he have the face to stay in office as a duke? I will let him hand over his military power and think behind closed doors. , if you have other thoughts, hehe, it is the time for the Yongweiying and Jinyi Tiqi to make meritorious deeds!"

Xue Lian and Wei Shichun were also vigilant and did not dare to answer.

Chongzhen smiled and said: "You two don't have to worry. I am not a person who is not right and wrong. I know who is loyal to the royal family and Ming Dynasty. I am no longer a cold person. I have always admired Taizong's demeanor. Taizong treats meritorious officials The way is also my desire!",

After Zhu Di succeeded in Jing Nan, he treated his heroes with great generosity and grace. Except for those who violated taboos, he never killed heroes without authorization. Chongzhen's words also made Xue and Wei feel relieved.

Chongzhen continued: "I will transfer two hundred generals from the Yongwei Camp and you two to bring the daily training methods of the Yongwei Camp to the Beijing Camp. Appropriate positions, only in this way can you do everything you can, don't worry, I won't doubt you!"

The two got up and thanked, Chongzhen continued: "After you take over, the old and weak soldiers don't have to be dismissed. After all, they are also citizens of Ming Dynasty. They spent their whole lives in the military camp and supported their families with meager salaries. Once they are dismissed, they will have no skills. It’s hard to make a living.”

Xue Lian said: "My emperor's benevolent heart makes the ministers admire, but if they are not dismissed, how will these people be placed? After all, there are so many people!"

(End of this chapter)