Great Ming Dynasty Wen Chao Gong

Chapter 160 The Emperor Asks for a Plan
In Uncle Ning Yuan's house, Li Chengliang was listening carefully to what his eldest son had to say.

"It's no wonder that Zhang Zhanshi is a kind person. You can just go and talk about novels. Why are you talking about military affairs? Why are you so eager to surpass your father? How much credit does Wang Yangming have for pacifying Prince Ning? He became the uncle of Xin Xin. Qi Shaobao, who was as famous as his father, was not awarded the title of marquis in the end. The earl created by his father made many people jealous," Li Chengliang said.

"Then according to my father's wishes, should I compete for the position of Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong Army or the position of Commander-in-Chief of the New Army?" Li Rusong asked.

"Both positions have their own pros and cons. The position of Liaodong General Soldier is not easy to get. If you are not careful, you will be impeached. I don't know how many times I have been impeached as a father. If you take this position, you will be impeached. Besides, you I am a father and a son. Back then, several imperial officials said that the father-in-law and son-in-chief of Liaodong Town were in danger of repeating the separatist rule of feudal towns in the Tang Dynasty, which would be a big trouble. You see, my father has been staying in the capital since he resigned from office. , I don’t even like to go out to my own mansion, just to avoid suspicion.”

"Of course, if you become the commander-in-chief of the new army, I don't know what the new army's charter will be like in the end. But since it is a new army, there must be innovations. If there are innovations, there will be controversy. When the time comes, impeachment Memorials are also indispensable. But one thing is better than being the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, because it is just training and trying, and there is always a chance to recover. If you suffer a big defeat as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, you will never be able to turn around. Yes. How many people have been replaced as commander-in-chief before I became a father, and several commander-in-chiefs died in battle. Don’t think that becoming the commander-in-chief of Liaodong can grant you the title of marquis or uncle."

"Then according to the father's wishes, it would be better for the son to command the new army?" Li Rusong was still a little confused.

"That's not to say. After all, it's hard to say what this new army will be able to train into. Zhang Zhanshi has lived overseas for a long time, and the Western military training methods he saw and heard may not be accurate, and even if they are accurate, they may not be applicable to this country. Daming. However, his suggestion of going to Macau to purchase weapons and equipment and hire personnel is not bad. The imperial court should indeed handle this matter. Before, Franji State provoked a border provocation and was repelled by the Ming Navy. But I heard that now The Flemish Kingdom was severely defeated by the British barbarians in Europe. The Flemish Kingdom should not dare to engage in any side provocations. They have traveled thousands of miles to come here. Since they cannot defeat them, they always want to make money through trading. Now is a good time to talk to them about some money. If the matter of going to Macau is settled, the new army will be able to start. Otherwise, the soldiers will still be old and the weapons will be old, but the names will be changed. How can we talk about a new army?"

"Furthermore, the ministers' duties are determined by His Majesty. If His Majesty feels that neither of these positions is suitable for you, it would be hard to say if you go elsewhere. Don't think that just because you have made meritorious service in North Korea, you can do everything in the army." You are fighting to be the first. There are so many other founding princes and Jingnan princes conferred by Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu. People didn’t want to fight for it before, but it’s hard to say in the future. Don’t think that good things will be yours. Just say that there are two positions now. , if you become the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, what arrangements should you make? You are asked to train and lead the new army. How are you going to train this new army? Have you thought about this carefully? If you don't understand, think more and ask more questions. Otherwise, I won’t be able to take the official position when it comes." Li Chengliang analyzed patiently.

"Son, remember your father's teachings."

"If you think about it carefully, Mr. Dong will not resign so soon. The new army will not be able to train immediately. Now Rumei has also gone to Liaodong. You should also inquire more about the current situation in Liaodong. The new army Although it was Zhang Zhanshi's initiative here, how well the new army can be trained depends on His Majesty's will, the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Office. If you are interested in this, you may as well ask more. The imperial court's response to aiding the DPRK The rewards for the civil and military officials who fought against the Japanese are probably ready. When the time comes, the rewards will be based on merit and who should go where. Your title for merit this time is a little less meaningful, but you should not be granted the title of Governor. The problem is, this is also the pinnacle of military attaché level."

"I also read the lecture notes above for the class you taught the two princes. However, I heard that later on you added more time and talked about many more things. This part is not in the lecture notes. Fortunately, you can still I remember it so well. The Hundred Years War you are talking about now will be placed in the series of the history of the rise of great powers in the future, right?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, on the upper right coast of France."

A few days later, the imperial court's commendations and rewards were issued, and Li Rusong was named the Taibao of the Crown Prince and the Left Commander of the Central Military Command. Song Yingchang made a mistake in negotiating peace, so he was only given rewards but not promotions. The remaining civil and military officials all receive rewards.

Zhang Xiao's official position has already been mentioned, so there will be no adjustment in official position this time, just receive a reward and forget about it.

"It is indeed very close to Britain and France. As you said, the Habsburg family is now in danger."

"Reporting to your Majesty, it is indeed the case. The United Kingdom and France are both rising stars among European countries. The Franco Kingdom has now reached its peak and declined. The future European powers will still depend on the United Kingdom and France. Needless to say, Britain, although France suffered a lot at home due to the Hundred Years' War, the King of France also took the opportunity of the war to regain his royal power, and the military's combat effectiveness also improved a lot. Harbin, who now rules the Franco Kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire, The Busburg family, the biggest enemy on land, apart from the Ottomans, is France."

"Zhang Xiao, I have a question. Although the Habsburg dynasty is ruled by separate families, it is still one family. On the left is the Franco Kingdom, and there are many overseas lands outside. On the right is what you call the Holy Roman Empire. , with such a large territory, it shouldn’t be difficult to deal with France, even if Britain has maritime dangers and is difficult to fight.”

In the imperial study, the emperor looked down at Zhang Xiao.

However, Zhang Xiao's days at home did not last long, and he was soon summoned by the emperor again.

"The imperial court is already making preparations, and the reward should be a matter of the next few days."

"Your Majesty, when you look at a country's national strength, you can't just look at the size of its territory. France's territory is not that big, but it is densely populated, has developed agriculture, and is rich in industry and commerce. It is said that it has a population of more than 10 million, which is already a large population in Europe. Moreover, the Franconian country looks big, but in fact it is not peaceful internally. There are still many natives in the American continent who are still fighting against the Franconian people. In Europe, the Netherlands area of ​​the Franconian country is still fighting for independence, and the more and more troubles are getting. The bigger it gets, the more likely it is that there will be support from Britain and France, and it will have to compete with the Ottomans for hegemony in the Mediterranean, so all the gold and silver in the sky will be exhausted. As for the Holy Roman Empire, it is even worse. Such a huge The empire was actually an empty frame. Each prince in the empire went his own way, and even raised armies against the emperor many times. Moreover, the territory controlled by the Habsburg family seemed large, but in fact it was scattered here and there. France was in the grip of the Habsburg family. The center of the territory made the Habsburg lands scattered here and there."

"Where is the Netherlands you are talking about?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Xiao thought to himself, how can there be no dangers? If the historical line of Europe does not change significantly, the Thirty Years' War will start in two or three years, and it will really be a shocking war. Weeping ghosts and gods.

"Zhang Xiao, when you give lectures to the two princes in the future, even if it is about the history of foreign barbarians, you should not tell too many stories about royal families fighting each other. Do you understand?" The emperor suddenly changed the topic.

"Wei Chen understands." Zhang Xiao quickly replied. "I know that you didn't mean what you said at the beginning, but as the teacher of the prince, you must be careful with what you say. In the past, Yuan Gusheng and Huang Sheng were arguing in front of the throne of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty about the Tang-Wu revolution and the rebellion of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty against the Qin Dynasty. , Emperor Jing said, don’t eat horse liver if you eat meat, it’s not because you don’t know the taste; scholars don’t talk about soup and martial arts, it’s not stupid, let them stop talking about it casually, so as not to shake the foundation of the country. Now the government and the public, by borrowing There are many metaphors from the past to the present, and I also hope that you will not use them to make fun of the inside."

"Wei Chen dare not."

"Let's put aside the fact that the Western European countries want to fight for hegemony. There is something going on right now. I don't know if you know about it. This is the memorial reported in Sichuan and Guizhou. Take a closer look." The emperor ordered.

Zhang Xiao took several memorials and read them carefully. Although they were written by different people and the narrative angles were different, they all wrote about the same thing, that is, Yang Yinglong showed signs of treason. He was prepared to say that Yang Yinglong's deeds were tantamount to treason, but before the imperial court He was too busy fighting against the Japanese to take care of it. Now that the war against Japan is over, officials from all southwestern provinces have gone to court one after another, asking the court to deal with it as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, Yang Yinglong's true nature has been exposed, but he should not be provoked easily at the moment, lest Yang Yinglong jump over the wall and cause harm to Sichuan."

"Zhang Xiao, you have also been sent to North Korea as an envoy. What recommendations do you have for the generals who will assist North Korea? As for the civil servants, I want to send Li Hualong there. Li Hualong has made great achievements in patrolling Liaodong and has also served as an official in the southwest before."

"General Liu Wei and General Chen Lin are both very good. They are both from the south. They are more suitable for the southern climate and are familiar with mountain warfare. I also have a suggestion. In order to prevent Yang Yinglong from jumping over the wall, a cavalry can be stationed in Sichuan. Waiting for the opportunity, Kuai Bai's troops are very suitable. As long as Kuai Bai's troops go to the south, the court does not have to worry about them connecting with the Mongols in the north."

"Oh? Your idea is quite interesting. Judging from your point of view, Yang Yinglong's matter is not urgent yet, can you still work on it slowly?"

"Your Majesty, Yang Yinglong is arrogant and rude. Not only does he despise the imperial court, but the chieftains next to him are also bullied by him. He also spoils his concubines and kills his wife. His reputation spreads throughout the southwest. As soon as the imperial army arrives, the chieftains from all walks of life must also obey The imperial court dispatched. However, a problem was also exposed at this time. Is the southwestern area of ​​​​the imperial court's defense too weak? There should also be a loyal and capable army in Sichuan. If Sichuan was not empty, how could the Yang family have another birth? Such covetousness.”

"We will discuss the Kawachi Defense Department after the Yang Yinglong Rebellion has been quelled. Shi Shangshu of the Ministry of War handed me the charter for setting up a new army. He said that only 5,000 new troops could be trained at the beginning. I am still worried about who will train the new army. , Zhang Xiao, you didn’t talk carefully about the new army in this Ottoman chapter, who is leading this new army?”

"Reporting to your majesty, this new Turkish army can also be called the Sudan's pro-army. It is naturally under the command of the Ottoman Sultan. Of course, the Ottoman Sultan cannot personally go to war again and again. Therefore, if the Sultan does not go out in person, he will hand over the battle flag to the Grand Vizier. , the Ottoman Grand Vizier is equivalent to the position of prime minister, appointed and dismissed by the Ottoman Sultan. The Grand Vizier takes over the Sultan's battle flag and leads the army to fight invincibly. If the battle is defeated, or the battle is overturned If the flag is lost, the Sultan will order him to commit suicide."

"The military and political affairs of the Ottoman state are quite a bit like the legacy of the Chu state in this regard. If the coach fails, he will commit suicide. It's just that the grand vizier is in charge of both state affairs and the army, so his power is too great. It's not appropriate. No, Emperor Taizu has said that future generations will not be allowed to have prime ministers. What about countries like France, England, and France? Who will lead their armies?"

"Your Majesty, all the Western Yi countries still have a system of ministers and ministers. Either the king personally conquers, or he appoints a noble to be the commander. This is generally the case. The third Crusade was after the Western Yi countries heard about the fall of Jerusalem. , the Western countries sent large armies to fight Saladin, the then Sultan of Egypt and Syria. At that time, King Richard the Lionheart of England, King Philip I of France, and Caesar Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire each assembled heavy troops to cross the sea. expedition."

"Forget about the Holy Roman Empire, there is still a land route to Jerusalem. The kings of Britain and France just lead their domestic armies, and the country doesn't care, so they come all the way to fight? Is it any wonder that the Franco Kingdom It can expand so far everywhere." The emperor looked at the map and said with some emotion.

"Then I probably understand. Now the new army needs to choose a commander. You generally recognize the generals in the court. You have met many of them. Can you recommend the commander of the new army?"

"I recommend General Li Rusong. Of course, it is not impossible if Uncle Ning Yuan can stay strong and strong. After all, there are not many generals in the court who have commanded a large army seriously, and the Li family and his son are also among the best."

"You are good at recommending Li Rusong. I also want to put him elsewhere for training. Zhang Xiao, I see that you have always disagreed with Li Rusong going out to control Liaodong. I asked you to recommend the commander-in-chief of Liaodong before. You and Li Rusong are familiar with each other, but you don't agree with him." Tell me his name. I have been thinking about promoting Li Rusong as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong these days, but many officials are opposed. Some say that the Li family cannot be allowed to dominate the Liaodong family, father and son. Some say that Li Rusong is rebellious and rude and is inconvenient to serve. Commander-in-Chief of Border Town, what’s your reason?”

"Your Majesty, General Li Rusong is indeed a brave general, but being sophisticated and manipulative are not his strengths."

"Then General Soldier of Liaodong, do you have anyone to recommend? Don't tell me to let Li Chengliang come out again."

"Your Majesty, Liaodong needs to be flexible in its defense now. I recommend General Ma Gui. Of course, in order to appease the Li family, we can make Li Rubai or Li Rumei the deputy commander-in-chief, so that the old generals in Liaodong can also feel at ease."

"Let Ma Gui go to Liaodong... Huo Luochi has become a lot quieter now after being harassed several times. It is not impossible to consider letting Ma Gui come over. But I still don't understand why you strongly recommend Li Rusong as the commander. The Japanese commander is so unfavorable to him as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong." The emperor was a little puzzled.

"When I recommend officials, I always only consider whether they are suitable or not, and have no selfish motives. General Li Rusong is brave enough but not agile enough. The current position of Liaodong Commander-in-Chief is not suitable for him. Even in front of General Li Rusong, Wei Chen said the same." Zhang Xiao replied.

(End of this chapter)