prosperous age

Chapter 658 657 Grand Parade

In the Ming Dynasty, military ceremonies were rich in content. "Personal enlistment is the first, followed by sending generals. When a party leaves the army, there are rites of offering sacrifices. And when returning, there are ceremonies of accepting surrender, offering captives, and rewarding meritorious deeds. Usually there are military parades and great shooting And the system of beating drums to save the sun is also attached to it.”

The "grand parade" mentioned by Wei Guangde is actually a military parade in later generations.

In the Hongwu and Yongle periods in the early Ming Dynasty, military parades were relatively active. This kind of military parade was carried out simultaneously with the emperor's expeditions, focusing on military effectiveness, but the time, place, and form were mostly "reading at any place". Not uniform.

According to the records in documents such as "Ming Shi Lu" and "Ming Hui Yao" that Wei Guangde saw, since Hongwu to the present, various "big reading" activities have been held more than [-] times.

It’s just that most of these were concentrated in the Hongwu and Yongle dynasties, especially in the mid-Yongle period, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di once reviewed the Sixth Division and invited envoys from many countries to watch the ceremony, which aroused great repercussions internationally.

Naturally, what Wei Guangde thought of was to use the military parade to show the military strength of the Ming Dynasty, not only to deter the northern grasslands, but also to spread to the east and west, so that they dare not ignore the national strength of the Ming Dynasty.

"Qi Jiguang has been in the Beijing camp for a long time now. I heard that under his training, the Shenji camp has changed a lot."

When Wei Guangde said this, he observed the expression of Emperor Longqing, and found that there was no change, so he continued: "Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang are both veteran generals who have fought in the Jiangnan army for many years. It is just for them to preside over this matter. We must let Daming pay attention. Now when the country was founded, it was a grand army."

Wei Guangde's idea was actually very simple. These two men were veterans of war, so they naturally knew how to train soldiers to make them look extremely brave.

He would think of ways to improve the viewing and deterrence of the military parade. In short, everything must be understood that the military strength of the Ming Dynasty was very strong.

After Wei Guangde finished speaking, he looked at Emperor Longqing, waiting for his reply.

At this time, Emperor Longqing was also thinking about Wei Guangde's proposal. The frontier army went out to show the Mongols the unyielding combat power of the Ming army, and the grand parade was to show the military might to the surrounding area.

Great read.
Although Emperor Longqing didn't have big ambitions, it didn't mean that he didn't want to make some achievements, something to do, preferably something that would be famous in history.

The Hongwu, Yongle, Xuande, Zhengtong, Tianshun, and Chenghua dynasties all held grand parades, but the scales varied.

The last reading was in the 11th year of Chenghua, and it has not been read again in 94 years since then.

Emperor Longqing was not a person who would rub his hands, stamp his feet, and dance excitedly when he heard Da Yue. Wei Guangde's proposal was very novel and looked very attractive, but what he was thinking about now was not what would happen after he succeeded, but what would happen in Beijing. Camp, thinking that if something unexpected happened to Dayue, the court would lose face.

Well, unlike the previous emperors of Chenghua and Hongzhi, Emperor Longqing should be similar to Emperor Zhengde, not because of his character, but because of his understanding of Beijing.

He is someone who has seen lazy and slack soldiers in the Beijing camp on the streets of the capital, and he also knows the real situation in the Beijing camp. Because of the nobles and the court, the soldiers in the Beijing camp can only get [-]% of their monthly salary, and they are not well trained. , The soldiers are full of young and old.

The reason why the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was still willing to let Xungui lead the Beijing camp was mainly because of his peace of mind.

Although the Beijing camp is useless, at least they still know how to train a team of elite soldiers to fill the scene, which is considered the strongest combat force in the capital.

These soldiers and horses are enough to maintain the imperial power, as long as there is no intervention by soldiers and horses from other towns.

If the Beijing camp is handed over to the civil servants, I dare not imagine what will happen.

After a long time, Emperor Longqing hesitated and said: "The first thing you said, I said it earlier, there is no problem, as for the big reading
Jingying, okay? "

Wei Guangde opened his eyes slightly when he heard the words, and was about to speak when he heard Emperor Longqing continue.

"You know the situation in the Beijing camp, and I don't expect them to show any fighting power.

If it is really going to be a grand parade, I think it is better to select elite soldiers and generals from Jizhen and Xuanda to participate.

Since it is a grand parade, there must be foreign envoys by the side, I don't want them to see the unbearable appearance of the Beijing camp. "

"Your Majesty is too worried."

Wei Guangde wanted to talk earlier, but Emperor Longqing continued to talk, so he naturally didn't dare to interrupt.

Now that the emperor had finished speaking, it was his turn to speak.

"Of course I know about the situation in the Beijing camp.

Since it is a big reading, it is natural to practice the Beijing camp again, but I dare not let them come out to meet people in this state.

The minister felt that since Tan Lun was already the minister of the Ministry of War, it was only natural for him to be the censor of the capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and to praise the military affairs of the Beijing camp.

To be in charge of military affairs is to preside over the daily training of the Beijing camp.

There is also Qi Jiguang, who is good at selecting soldiers, and asked him to re-select the soldiers of the Beijing camp, and gather the best soldiers from all over the first battalion as troops for this big parade. After the big parade, they will keep them as the main force of the Beijing camp. Daily errands undertaken by the Beijing Camp.

In this way, the remaining elite soldiers can only focus on combat training, and will no longer care about miscellaneous matters in the future. They usually participate in various ceremonial activities as elites, and they can be pulled out if there is a war.

Moreover, this matter is not in a hurry for the time being, it is necessary to leave enough time for Master Tan and General Qi to train troops, right? "

Wei Guangde knew why the Beijing camp lacked training. Many nobles regarded the Beijing camp as free labor and turned a large number of Beijing camp soldiers into their own private slaves.

Forget about slavery, instead of paying money, the court's military salary will be paid, and a sum will be deducted.

If it weren't for worrying about people being in the capital, they would be detained so hard that there would be a mutiny, and the capital camp would have been empty long ago.

Just think about not being able to eat, who is willing to work hard, let alone work hard.

According to Wei Guangde's intention, the remaining elites of the Beijing camp should be formed into an army alone, and the old and weak should be reserved for those dignitaries in the capital.

But in doing so, it seems a bit like returning to the Zhengde Dynasty.

The only difference is that the Beijing camp, which was retrained during the reign of Emperor Zhengde, was filled with a large number of drawn and capable frontier soldiers.

It can be said that it is no exaggeration to say that the combat power of Zhengde's Beijing camp was almost equal to that of the early Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Longqing thought about why those civil servants didn't like what Emperor Zhengde did, and he was relieved.

Although I was very unhappy in my heart, sometimes it is really not the emperor who can decide everything.

Just like now, he knows that what Emperor Zhengde did can actually improve the Ming army's combat power, but it is difficult for him to pick it up again, because the civil servants don't like it.

At that time, as long as they get stuck in the household department, they can distract the army.

The lack of money in the Ming court is a matter known to both the government and the public. As long as the money from the household department is distributed, and there is no money to pay the army at that time, he, the emperor, will be put on fire.

Wei Guangde's proposal may be the bottom line of the civil official group.

Instead of increasing the number of squad troops, but digging out soldiers from within the Beijing camp, the promotion is limited.

Some people may wonder, who doesn't want their country's army to be strong, but in the Ming Dynasty, the civil official group really didn't want the Ming army to reproduce the military might of the early Ming Dynasty.

Why?

In fact, the reason is very simple. Before the Tumubao, the Ming court was in a state of civil and military control, which was relatively balanced.

But this balance is a balance caused by the emperor's partiality to civil servants.

In fact, in the early Ming Dynasty, because of the existence of veteran generals on the battlefield, military generals were the most important force in controlling the court. This is why the emperor in the early Ming Dynasty liked to suppress military generals.

Their power is too strong, so strong that even the emperor is worried.

After the Tumu Fort, the civil servants took advantage of the danger of the Ming army to take part of the military power with great difficulty, and then made continuous efforts to form a situation of using civil and military power, and of course they would not give it up.

If the Ming army regains its combat power, it means that countless veteran generals like the early Ming may emerge again. They have made great contributions on the battlefield. The group poses enormous pressure.

Therefore, it is in the best interest of the civilian group to keep the combat power of the Ming army at a level of neither high nor low.

That is to say, it can not only resist the threat from the north, but also not let them have the strength to succeed in one battle, and maintain a balanced situation.

Didn't the emperors in the middle and late Ming Dynasty understand?
In fact, they also understand, but their minds are actually similar to the civil servants' group, and they don't want the generals group to rise again.

A general with great prestige and the support of an army is a nightmare for the emperor.

Thinking about Zhu Yuanzhang's painstaking efforts to deal with the Huaixi Group, it is conceivable.

Emperor Zhengde is an exception, perhaps he still has the heart to expand the territory.

But for other emperors, they didn't want to do this, so they had to do that.

Whether Wei Guangde's proposal is good or not, Emperor Longqing thinks it is feasible, as for the effect, it can only be known after it is implemented.

And Wei Guangde has always felt that his ideas are immature, and maybe there are still some things missing, so he always wants to improve it further.

It dragged on until today, and finally spoke out under the persecution of Emperor Longqing, to solve the urgent need first.

"I know. When Tan Lun enters the capital after going down, you can get in touch with him more and give him a thorough understanding. I plan to let him take care of Jizhen and Jingying first."

Emperor Longqing finally opened his mouth to break the silence in the hall. This thought really took a lot of time.

"I understand."

Wei Guangde bowed and said.

Emperor Longqing stood up and looked around the empty hall. This was his habit of talking with Wei Guangde, and there would be no one around to serve him. Even when he was in Prince Yu's Mansion, Li Fang was often sent out to guard the gate.

"Qi Jiguang's place, you should contact him in advance and ask him to come up with a military training charter as soon as possible.

I will leave this matter to you, and I will go in this direction when I join the cabinet in the future.

By the way, there is also the matter of opening the sea in Fujian. "

Emperor Longqing spoke again.

"The minister obeys the order."

Wei Guangde stood up slightly, then bowed and said.

"You are still in the Ministry of Rituals, and it's time for someone to sort out the notes for Dayue. Since you are going to do it, you must not lose face.

Now on the cabinet side, let Chen Yiqin cooperate with you. "

Speaking of this, Emperor Longqing paused for a moment, as if thinking about something, and then continued: "You can also test Zhang Juzheng, maybe he won't object.

I remember that he was very supportive of many of your ideas. "

Hearing that Emperor Longqing mentioned Zhang Juzheng, Wei Guangde was slightly surprised, and looked at the emperor with a puzzled face.

Emperor Longqing just had a smile on the corner of his mouth, "Sometimes he has to act according to the teacher's wishes, and it doesn't affect the overall situation."

Emperor Longqing actually spoke to Zhang Juzheng, which surprised Wei Guangde even more.

"Yin Shizhen has been making a lot of moves recently, how do you think Elder Xu Ge will deal with it?"

Without giving Wei Guangde time to be surprised, Emperor Longqing suddenly asked again.

Recently, Yin Shizhen's move to cut out Xu Jie's party members is indeed very big. Many officials from the Imperial Procuratorate and officials from the six ministries have been released to the outside world.

Xu Jie should have noticed it a long time ago. Even if Yang Bo stopped some people, it is impossible to openly break up with Yin Shizhen because of this.

Well, Wei Guangde thought that if he was himself, he would not be able to do such a thing.

Wei Guangde took a sneak peek at Emperor Longqing, and noticed the complicated expression on his face when he said Xu Jie, and after thinking about it, he recalled it a bit.

If you want to say what Xu Jie's greatest contribution to the emperor is, of course, it is to ensure the smooth transfer of imperial power and to correct the bad governance of the Jiajing Dynasty.

For Emperor Longqing, Xu Jie deserved credit.

But at the same time, Emperor Longqing was dissatisfied with him because of the grievances between him and Gao Gong.

In the beginning, Emperor Longqing wanted to be a peacemaker, but he gave him several chances, but it seemed that things backfired.

That "meeting" was actually arranged by Emperor Longqing on purpose, hoping that Gao Gong and Xu Jie would resolve their grievances, but it turned out that Gao Gong would say those words.

Next, Wei Guangde had no choice but to analyze Xu Jie's possible countermeasures according to his own ideas.

When he came out of Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde was still thinking about Zhang Juzheng, it was really strange.

However, when he met Meng Chong when he was leaving the gate of Qianqing Palace, and hurried to Qianqing Palace with a box in his hand, Wei Guangde suddenly realized.

Zhang Juzheng, I am afraid that he is also befriending the eunuch who is trusted by Emperor Longqing.

Using these eunuchs to casually say a few nice words to him is more useful than Zhang Juzheng saying a hundred nice words in front of Emperor Longqing.

"Eunuch Meng, what treasure did you find for His Majesty?"

For eunuchs, Wei Guangde was curious at first.

But by this time, that trace of curiosity has long since dissipated.

But knowing the role of eunuchs, he would not easily offend anyone, so as long as the eunuchs around the emperor, Wei Guangde always took friendship as the principle, giving gifts when they should, and smiling faces when they should be given.

"Master Wei, this is from the emperor."

Seeing that it was Wei Guangde, Meng Chong also smiled like a chrysanthemum on his old face, and said with a smile: "I just got a good baby, so I will send it to the emperor, hehe"

"Hehe, Eunuch Meng has a heart, and His Majesty still depends on Eunuch's dedication to serve him."

Wei Guangde complimented against his will.

"It should be, Mr. Wei helps the emperor to take care of the state affairs, and those of us who have no eggs just take care of the emperor's daily life. This can be regarded as the division of the inner and outer courts. They are all on business for the emperor."

Teng Xiang, Meng Chong, the eunuchs favored by Emperor Longqing, all had a good impression of Wei Guangde. He was not like some civil servants, for the so-called "strength of character", they looked at people with their nostrils when they saw eunuchs.

If you want a smile, you have a smile, and if you want a red envelope, you have a red envelope.

In addition, did Chen Ju also say good things to Wei Guangde in front of them and set an example, when he was in a relationship with Wei Guangde, he was nothing more than a little servant, but Wei Guangde also treated each other with courtesy.

Wei Guangde's ability to treat the eunuch with sincerity is a wave of goodwill in front of these guys who secretly have low self-esteem.

Saying goodbye to Meng Chong, watching him hastily rush into Qianqing Palace, Wei Guangde just shook his head slightly, then turned around and walked towards the palace gate.

(End of this chapter)