prosperous age

Chapter 644 643 Summoned
As if thinking of something, Chen Ju suddenly said to Wei Guangde: "If the emperor asks you whether to go to the Ministry of War, you'd better not agree."

Chen Ju said this out of concern, and Wei Guangde just smiled when he heard it.

He would definitely not go to the Ministry of War, unless the emperor really forced him to go. After all, if he entered there, his hope of joining the cabinet would be slim.

He believed that Emperor Longqing would not be like this. Although the minister of the Ministry of War is an important minister of the court, the ultimate goal of a scholar is always to join the cabinet.

The carriage soon arrived outside the imperial city, and the Wei family's carriage could not enter here.

Wei Guangde and Chen Ju had no choice but to get out of the carriage and boarded the carriage in the palace again before continuing to walk in.

Chen Ju took Wei Guangde all the way to Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde waited in front of the palace gate, while Chen Ju went in to reply the decree.

Soon, Chen Ju came out and brought Wei Guangde in directly.

In a palace, Wei Guangde met Emperor Longqing.

At this time, the emperor's skin was a little dark, his eyelids were drooping, and he looked very listless, looking physically and mentally exhausted.

"His Majesty."

After Wei Guangde stepped forward to salute, Emperor Longqing just raised his hand to let him get up.

"You know what happened in Shanxi, tell me, what should I do to increase the strength of the frontier army? Avoid similar incidents from happening again?"

Emperor Longqing didn't hide anything from Wei Guangde, and asked directly.

Sure enough.

Wei Guangde thought to himself, then lowered his head to think.

To strengthen the combat power of the Ming army, it is difficult to say, but simple to say.

In fact, there is only one way, as long as it is solved, the military problem can be completely solved.

That is to give money, enough money to the soldiers, and full pay, so that the soldiers will work hard and their combat power will increase.

But even if the imperial court can allocate all the salary, the soldiers may not be able to get it, and it will only make some fat rats.

Well, Wei Guangde could pat his chest and "whisper" that he had never received military pay, but he dared not say that he had never paid.

Where did the money for my studies come from?

Where did the money for the exam come from?
And where did the money come from at the beginning of his career?
Isn't it just that my father deducted some military pay more or less, after all, his house is actually not clean, if this matter is on the line, I will also suffer.

It's just that my own house has never been so dark, and more or less I have to ensure that my subordinates can have a bite of food, as long as they don't go hungry.

Unlike some generals, they completely disregarded the life and death of soldiers.

This is also the reason why the Hundred Households of the Collapse Mountain Fort still has a little bit of fighting power.

Therefore, you can't talk about Yinzi directly. If you say it, it will have too much impact, and if you make trouble, you will be cleared out of the team.

"What? You don't want to tell me the truth?"

When Wei Guangde was silent for a while, Emperor Longqing asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty, I dare not."

To deceive the emperor is to deceive the emperor. This crime cannot be accepted, but the emperor's words must be answered. How should I say it?

"Your Majesty, after thinking about it, this matter should be related to the lack of training of the soldiers."

Immediately, Wei Guangde explained the current situation of the frontier army. He had inspected Ji Town a few years ago, and he knew that the army of the Ming Dynasty lacked training.

Many soldiers in the guard station just gave them clothes and weapons when they entered the camp, and sometimes they didn’t even have these things, because the Ming army gave the soldiers a piece of silver for armaments early on, allowing them to prepare by themselves.

Hereditary military households, so many people joined the guard with the armor and weapons used by their parents.

As for whether the money has been seen or not, who knows?

The officer will only say that it has been given, and who dares to say that he has not seen it.

In fact, there must be some silver, but I don't know how many layers have been drifted away, so it must be insufficient.

But in front of the emperor, Wei Guangde could only use the lack of training of the soldiers to explain the lack of combat power of the soldiers.

"Insufficient training? Now that you know the reason, is there a solution?"

Emperor Longqing asked again.

When he was in Prince Yu's Mansion before, when he encountered trouble, he would either ask Gao Gong or Wei Guangde, and he had already developed a habit.

It's just that Wei Guangde's qualifications are still a problem anyway. He has been promoted to the right servant of the Ministry of officials, and he has to wait for further promotion.

In fact, in the past two months, there was only one Chen Yiqin in the cabinet, which made him feel that he was often restrained in speaking and doing things.

Xu Jie, he couldn't believe it, and even secretly planned to get this person out in his heart.

It's just that it can't be this year, when I first ascended the throne, I need veterans to maintain a stable court situation.

Otherwise, when he was fighting Gao Gong, he should have approved Xu Jie's resignation.

The solution, of course, is to train the soldiers hard.

But Wei Guangde knew that Emperor Longqing's way of asking him was naturally not to ask the Ministry of War to supervise the towns.

"Let's choose a general."

Wei Guangde was not helpless, and immediately said: "It is safest to choose a general who is good at training soldiers in the army to be responsible for this matter."

"Then call Yu Dayou back?"

When Emperor Longqing heard what Wei Guangde said, a person suddenly came to his mind.

"Yu Dayou?"

Wei Guangde was stunned, Yu Dayou must be able to train soldiers, but it is an offending task to train the arrogant soldiers of the border town.

"Your Majesty, General Yu is still in Guangdong to destroy the Japanese pirates Zeng Yiben. I am transferred away at this time. I am worried that the success will fall short."

Wei Guangde didn't want Yu Dayou to go north, so he said.

There are many advantages to staying Yu Dayou in the south. First, he can learn about the situation in the south through letters with Yu Dayou. Secondly, he feels that when Fujian opens the sea, the imperial court needs to build a strong naval fleet in the south to escort it.

There were not many generals in the Ming Dynasty who knew water warfare, and Yu Dayou was one of them.

Who are the famous generals who are now famous for fighting Japanese in the south?

Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang, Tang Kekuan and others, but only Yu Dayou has the ability to command the navy.

If he is transferred to the north, who will the navy be handed over to?

"Yu Dayou can't do it?"

Emperor Longqing stared at Wei Guangde and asked suspiciously.

Seeing the emperor's expression, Wei Guangde had no choice but to express his thoughts.

Knowing that it was because of the navy, Emperor Longqing's face turned better.

"Then who do you think is suitable?"

Since Yu Dayou can't do it, let him recommend other people. With so many generals in Ming Dynasty, it is impossible to find one.

When Yu Dayou couldn't do it, Wei Guangde naturally thought of Qi Jiguang, who seemed to have been the commander of Ji Town, maybe he was the one who took this position in the first place.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde immediately reported Qi Jiguang's name.

"Fujian Commander? Qi Jiguang? How is his training?"

Emperor Longqing knew about this person, and he also knew that he had made great contributions to suppressing the Japanese, but before, his eyes were all focused on Yu Dayou, and he didn't pay much attention to other people.

"It's similar to Yu Dayou's. They have made great contributions, but they are good at land battles and not good at water battles."

Wei Guangde replied, "It just happens to be suitable for transfer to the north."

Therefore, Wei Guangde talked about Qi Jiguang recruiting soldiers in Zhejiang and training Qi's army.

"Not suitable"

Unexpectedly, Emperor Longqing frowned and said after hearing Qi Jiguang's history.

Wei Guangde was a little strange, he didn't expect that Emperor Longqing would give an "inappropriate" evaluation after hearing Qi Jiguang's glorious history.

"Your Majesty, why can't Qi Jiguang be transferred to Beijing to be in charge of the drills of the Ming army in the north?"

"Didn't you just say that? He is very good at training soldiers, but he is very picky about the source of soldiers."

Emperor Longqing replied: "The Ming army in the north are all hereditary military households, and a small number of recruits, what if he can't train?
Is it still impossible to recruit all the frontier troops from Zhejiang?

And you also said that the salaries of Zhejiang soldiers trained by Qi Jiguang are very high, and the court can't afford it. "

Emperor Longqing's answer made Wei Guangde at a loss for words.

He only knew that Qi Jiguang led the guards to fight against the Japanese, but the results were very poor. After that, he chose to recruit soldiers in Yiwu, Zhejiang, and then trained according to his own method. The soldiers he trained were very good at fighting Japanese pirates.

According to Emperor Longqing's intention, it is really possible that Qi Jiguang could not train soldiers from the northern regions, otherwise he would not have had to recruit Zhejiang soldiers as soldiers, and would have just chosen from the guards.

Wei Guangde didn't know the reason for this, but he only heard that the soldiers he recruited from Yiwu were obedient, as long as they were given enough money, they could practice as they wanted, and there were very few complaints.

The same is true on the battlefield, because the soldiers come from one place, most of them are familiar with each other, and they have a high degree of trust in each other, so even if they attack the strong with the weak, they can still stabilize their positions.

Although Emperor Longqing seemed to ask a very good question, Wei Guangde remembered that Qi Jiguang was in Jizhen, and there was no Tartar attack for a long time, which made the entire border town of the Ming army stable.

By the way, there seems to be another person named Li Chengliang. I know him because it is said that Houjin Nurhachi once worshiped under him. Although he was backlashed in the end, it was after Li Chengliang became old and frail.

When Li Chengliang was in his prime, he also seemed to have severely suppressed the surrounding Mongols and Jurchens in Liaodong.

Now, let's put Li Chengliang's affairs aside, and think about how to choose generals and who to send to train the northern Ming army.

Wei Guangde bowed his head and thought for a while, based on the news he had read and heard, he really couldn't find a more suitable candidate than Qi Jiguang.

Otherwise, Ma Fang can only be sent back to Beijing to take on the responsibility of training soldiers?

Ma Fang is also very good at training troops, otherwise the Xuanfu army would not be so powerful. Last year, more than ten thousand people chased and killed tens of thousands of Tartars.

Thinking of Ma Fang, Wei Guangde could only shake his head in his heart.

Ma Fang is not a person who is willing to give up power in his hands.

Before Governor Xuan wanted to divide his soldiers, he was directly sent back by him, and asked him to come back to train and lay down the soldiers, which might cause his dissatisfaction.

Do not do unto others as you would have them do to you, Wei Guangde knows this very well.

Even if Ma Fang really gave up the position of Chief Military Officer of the Xuan Mansion, she would still have resentment towards him, especially knowing that he was the one who brought this up.

A real soldier prefers to lead troops outside, rather than waiting to die in the capital.

"Your Majesty, I think that although I have many generals in the Ming Dynasty, I am afraid that there is no one else except Qi Jiguang in terms of training skills. The main reason is that he is the only one who has nothing to do for the time being. The current Japanese pirates have been forced by Yu Dayou. Guangdong has gone."

Wei Guangde reminded.

Qi Jiguang is well-known and is now serving as the commander-in-chief of Fujian, but it seems that there has been no Japanese riots in Fujian for some time.

"Moreover, the Qi family army he trained is said to be very powerful. Why not transfer one part of it to the capital to serve as a squadron to protect Gyeonggi, and the rest to stay in Zhejiang and Fujian to guard against Japanese pirates."

Wei Guangde continued.

"But I'm worried that he won't be able to practice."

Emperor Longqing still had this worry, but Wei Guangde did not resolve his concern.

"Try, if it doesn't work, then consider changing."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to say.

Emperor Longqing thought for a while and then asked: "What is the job arrangement for the transfer to the capital?"

Wei Guangde quickly answered after searching his memories: "You can first arrange it in the Shenji Battalion of the Beijing Camp. As far as I know, his father was a general in the Shenji Battalion, and letting him take charge of the Shenji Battalion is also regarded as inheriting his father's career.

Look at the results of his training. If it is good, you can consider a new official position. "

Emperor Longqing didn't continue to dwell on this issue. In Wei Guangde's eyes, he just nodded slightly, and then the topic came to him.

"Earlier, you wanted to transfer a few people out, but the cabinet objected. The memorial was handed over to me, and I supported the cabinet's intention."

Hearing Emperor Longqing mention this matter, Wei Guangde was suspicious in his heart, but his face remained calm and did not change at all.

"Your considerations are correct. Zhengfu told me that there is no rush."

"The minister is very concerned about his affairs, and he is guilty of ruining His Majesty's important affairs."

Wei Guangde had no choice but to bow and say.

"What crime are you guilty of? You are not guilty."

Emperor Longqing did say directly, "Some people go too far. I like your approach very much."

Wei Guangde didn't answer, but bowed more respectfully.

"What you said just now, you go down and think about it again. If you are sure that Qi Jiguang is suitable, let Yifu bring me a message."

"I understand."

Wei Guangde replied, but there is a high probability that it will not change, and only Qi Jiguang is suitable for this position, and he will talk to Chen Yiqin about it later.

Wei Guangde made up his mind, and heard Emperor Longqing say again: "Also, in a few days, I plan to exchange positions between you and Zhengfu. He goes on."

When Wei Guangde left Qianqing Palace, he was in a happy mood. The last words that Emperor Longqing said to him actually secretly intended to let him join the cabinet.

From the Ministry of Officials to the Ministry of Rites, it seems that the authority has been weakened, but the benefits are self-evident.

With the qualifications of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Officials, Wei Guangde's entrance to the cabinet is just around the corner, and he only needs a kick at the door.

Apparently, because of Gao Gong's departure, Emperor Longqing became more dependent on them, the old men of Yuji. Currently, there is only Chen Yiqin in the cabinet, and it is difficult for him to represent him in the cabinet. He urgently needs to increase his voice in the cabinet.

Of course, Wei Guangde roughly guessed the purpose of doing this, and it was also preparing for the expulsion of Xu Jie.

Although I was not very successful in secretly attacking Xu Jie's disciples in the Ministry of Officials, the way I did it was approved by the emperor. Perhaps the purpose of exchanging Yin Shizhen was also to temporarily hide Xu Jie through this method.

After all, he has already made a move, and Xu Jie will definitely pay more attention to him in the future, and it will be difficult to think of any big moves.

As for letting him hand over the matter in hand to Yin Shizhen, it is natural to continue the relevant preparations, circle out the people one by one, and then hand over the list directly to Yin Shizhen, and let him take action.

Gao Xing left Miyagi and returned to the Ministry of Officials, and called Lu Bu to the Ministry of War to copy Qi Jiguang's resume and battle reports. Wei Guangde must study this person carefully, at least he will have something to say next time he is asked.

(End of this chapter)