open sea

Chapter 682
This is the disadvantage of monopolizing power. While the Fourth Military Mansion filled the overseas gap of the imperial court, it also obtained part of the power of the Six Departments to a certain extent. However, only Nanyang is a sound military mansion among the emerging Fourth Army Mansions.

But this is an inevitability. It was not done by Chen Mu on purpose. It is nonsense to expect the Ministry of War to be in charge of overseas affairs. A piece of news or an order is sent back and forth for four months. .

Since the Qin Dynasty built a well-established national post station, urgent letters from the frontier to the capital were delivered in the form of relays. At its peak, the message delivery usually did not exceed seven days, but sea relays were useless. There must be a set of institutions that can make timely decisions.

This also involves the issue of national execution, especially in the Central Plains. In the past dynasties, usually when they were emerging, they fought like the real man who was bound by the general trend, and the army was invincible.

But at the end of the dynasty, there were still the same people, but the regular army was often unable to defeat the rebel insurgents or invading enemies.

Simply put, the invincibility of Genghis Khan's army has never been based on bravery, or not just bravery, but that it will gather loosely from various ministries and restrain them with strict discipline. will lose.

Shanyu Maodun, the Xiongnu clan, ruled Mobei to become a country stronger than the Han Dynasty, and it was necessary to have strict discipline that would allow his subordinates to kill their fathers, let alone the Mongols 1000 years later.

The sea means not only wealth and risk to Ming Dynasty, but also above the sea. Since the Five Dynasties and the beginning of the Song Dynasty, the system of civil and military decision-making, execution and separation of families has not worked well on the sea.

This is the source of trouble for Chen Mu - he needs a complete staff system.

This staff system is not a horizontal copy beyond the times, but the inherent staff system of the Chinese Empire. In Chen Mu's understanding, it is a division of civil and military that has been criticized by later generations.

Staff and staff, as early as 600 years ago in the Wanli year, Jiang Ziya, who wrote "Six Secret Teachings", made it very clear:
There are 72 people with femur, brachial and feather wings.

With one heart and one heart, the main planner is to respond to the death, the sky will change, and the plan will be mastered to save the lives of the people.

The five counselors are mainly concerned with safety and danger, and they are not yet budding, discussing ability, rewards and punishments, conferring official positions, deciding suspicions, and deciding whether they are acceptable or not;
The three astronomical people are in charge of the ephemeris, waiting for the weather, pushing the time, testing the amulets, checking the disasters, knowing the people's hearts and taking the opportunity;
The three people in the right place are in charge of the situation of the three armies, the good and bad news, the distance is dangerous, the water is dry and the mountains are obstructed, and the place is not lost;

The nine masters of the art of war mainly talk about the similarities and differences, success or failure in actions, concise weapons, and illegal stabbing;

The four people who are in charge of food, mainly eat and drink, accumulate food, pass food and roads, and produce five grains, so that the three armies will not be sleepy;

Fenwei four people, the main choice of talent, discuss the military revolution, galloping like lightning, don't know why;
There are three people holding the flags and drums, the master lays down the flags and drums, clear eyes and ears, cunning talismans, fallacious orders, explaining sudden and unexpected exchanges, coming in and out like a god;

There are four people in the thigh and arm, and the director is difficult to hold, repairing ditches and repairing barriers to prepare for defense;
There are three people with common materials, the master picks up the leftovers and makes up for the mistakes, meets the guests, discusses and talks, and eliminates troubles and knots;
The three men of power and authority, the main act is strange, the setting is different, unrecognizable by people, and the change is endless;
With seven ears and eyes, the master comes and goes, listens to words and sees changes, and reads the affairs of the four directions and the feelings in the army;
Five minions, mastering might and power, motivating the three armies, making them take risks and attack without any doubts;

The four wings, the master of reputation, shakes the distance, shakes the four realms, and weakens the enemy's heart;
There are eight tourists, the master waits for traitors and waits for changes, opens and closes human feelings, observes the enemy's intentions, and regards them as spies;
The two warlocks, the master is deceitful, relying on ghosts and gods to confuse people's hearts;
The two alchemists are in charge of hundreds of medicines to cure golden sores and cure all diseases;

There are two people in the law, and the three armies are in charge of accounting; the camp walls, food, and financial expenses are in and out.

Jiang Ziya's 72-member luxurious staff team plus the Chinese corps led by noble officers were enough to have overwhelming military strength during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

In later countries, these professionals became fixed officials who were in charge of various affairs.

As for the historical context of civil servants leading the army, it is even more interesting. The first was the Privy Envoy of the Tang Dynasty, and at first it was served by eunuchs, as the tentacles of the imperial power and army.

Military affairs have created a group of strong emperors for five generations. They are in charge of the military and government at the same time. They have a comprehensive understanding of every corner of the entire army.

This is the characteristic of those strong men in the Five Dynasties, and it is also the characteristic of Chen Mu after he went to sea.

For example, in Beiyang, Chen Mu only has the right to command the army. From Tianjinwei to Dagukou, he can let the Beiyang army do anything except participate in the war.

But once he crossed the border, it was treason. Liaodong, Jizhen, Jingying, Shandong, these soldiers and horses could lead the army to attack the first moment he led the army out of Tianjin Wei.

The tradition of the emperor directly commanding the army went up to the banks of the Gaoliang River. Zhao Guangyi’s arrow on the battlefield led to defeat in the war. After that, the emperor gradually reduced his presence on the battlefield, and his influence on the military gradually declined. The position of the supreme commander was indispensable.

After experiencing unsatisfactory attempts such as sending out the battle map by the emperor of the Song Dynasty, an institution that replaced the emperor to control the promotion and relegation of soldiers and officers, salary rewards and punishments, logistics supply, strategic mobilization, and military command but did not control the actual army came into being. The Privy Council in the Song Dynasty and the Ministry of War in the Ming Dynasty.

The functions of this institution are equivalent to the integration of the Western Army Department and General Staff Headquarters in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.However, in the past few hundred years, military science and technology have undergone earth-shaking changes, and it is also true that they have not been able to catch up.

It is inevitable to emphasize literature over military affairs, because the Privy Council and the Ministry of War are closer to the imperial power as the war decision-making body.

Another reason for emphasizing civility over military affairs is that after the country is stabilized, the emperor himself often forgets or does not know his military attributes.

Just like Chen Mu deliberately influenced the little emperor, and told him not to forget that the power of the biggest civil servant in the world is in the hands of the emperor, but also the biggest soldier in the world has always been the emperor.

As the Minister of the East, once he leads the fleet to sea, he will actually hold the power of the emperor for a long time, and the objective conditions of Beiyang's proximity to Beijing do not allow him to set up a complete organization of Nanyang bureaus here.

This means that the Dongyang Military Mansion is in a state of disability, and there are gaps in necessary powers, all of which need to be filled temporarily by himself and the few staff around him.

According to Jiang Ziya's reasoning, he and the others are all acting as "communicators" now, and they find out what problems to solve, and if they can't solve them, they have to solve them.

This is very uncomfortable, so that Chen Mu, who should be enjoying the last time before going to sea, is busy until late at night every day. On the one hand, he has to make the final preparations before going to sea, and on the other hand, he also has to consider the functional deployment of the Eastern Fleet after going to sea. .

He was even a little impatient.

At night, just a few days before Dayue, Chen Mu put down his pen and opened the window to look at the shadow of the flag army still standing upright on the sentry tower of the Beiyang Army Mansion under the moonlight in the distance.

"I'm ready."

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)