The 400,000 frontier troops were the pillars of the Ming Dynasty’s defense against the Mongols and the suppression of civil strife. Today, there are only 60,000 to 70,000 left.
Moreover, half of the 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and horses are still the number after being replaced by military remnants. The number of real combatable soldiers is only tens of thousands.
In a sense, these tens of thousands of people were the last legacy left by Chongzhen.
"Does Your Majesty intend to reorganize the frontier army?"
In Gansu Town, Zhu Jing looked at the yellow sand and mottled city walls in the distance and said these words.
Lu Daqi, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, shook his head and said: "In the three provinces of Gansu, Ningxia and Suiyuan, Gao Yigong, Liu Tingjie, You Shiwei and others are in charge, and the border passes are safe and sound. Furthermore, the tribes in Monan have surrendered, and it is no longer appropriate to rebuild the border army.
.”
Zhu Jing was silent.
The various Mongolian tribes were scattered and in disarray. The border troops were indeed of no use at this time, but how could we know that the Mongols could not rise again?
"Gansu has an army of 20,000, Shaanxi has 15,000, Ningxia has 10,000, Datong has about 8,000, and Shanxi has 10,000..."
Zhu Jing reported softly.
These gathered and eliminated troops will eventually be dispersed to the four provinces of Gansu, Ningxia, Suiyuan, and Shaanxi to enhance border strength.
"Suiyuan or Liu Tingjie is in charge, right?"
"Yes!"
After the governor-general of Xuanda was re-established and Sun Changzhou took office, Liu Tingjie was not suitable to be in charge of Datong, so he moved to Suiyuan wisely.
The emperor also followed the trend and appointed Liu Tingjie as the commander-in-chief of Suiyuan.
However, Suiyuan has a vast area, and with the back cover and front cover in hand, Ningxia has become inland.
As a result, You Shiwei's control over Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia was upgraded again, and he was appointed to control the three towns of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia, and he was based in Ningxia.
Among the three provinces, Shaanxi is indispensable as it is the place where military supplies are provided.
In fact, after it has been in operation for a long time, the disadvantages of the control have become more and more obvious. Compared with the governor, he only has the power to command troops and cannot organize logistics and food.
To put it bluntly, the control spans many provinces and has no jurisdiction over local governments. No matter how good the war is, it will be in vain if there is no food.
Therefore, the emperor thought that the commander-in-chief was responsible for commanding and the governor-general was responsible for coordinating grain and supplies, which was most suitable for the border.
"I went to the border this time, you can be considered as having some merit."
The emperor looked at Zhu Jing and smiled: "Why, is there anywhere you want to go?"
"It all depends on His Majesty."
Zhu Jing felt happy and bowed her hands.
"good!"
The emperor nodded. The mature and steady Zhu Jing was quite likable.
"You used to be the commander of Zhongcheng at the sixth rank. Now that you have been tired for a year, you should be promoted to the fifth rank!"
"Go to Jingying to have some experience."
Zhu Jing was too busy to thank her.
I quickly started calculating in my mind.
After the military ranks were restructured, the ranks in the military also changed at the same time.
The military system is from low to high, including Wu, Shi, team, battalion, association and wing. Among them, the deputy team is from the ninth rank, and the main team is from the ninth rank.
If you enter the Beijing camp, then an official of the fifth rank will be in charge of an association of 3,000 people, and will be a guerrilla general with the rank of right lieutenant.
Fortunately for him, he served as a guerrilla at the age of twenty, and ordinary people couldn't find it.
With joy in her heart, Zhu Jing couldn't wait to leave the villa and return home.
As for Lu Daqi, he led most of them. They had just passed Xuanzhen and it would take several days to reach Beijing.
But he was also in an anxious mood.
The emperor had promised him last year that after inspecting the border, it would be time for him to join the cabinet.
With this mood in mind, when he approached the capital, he slowed down, rather worrying about gains and losses.
After checking into the inn, Lu Daqi soaked his feet, his thoughts turning over and over again.
"Dong Weng!"
At this time, the staff outside the door came in, swept the snow off their shoulders, sat down, and soaked their feet.
"Yuluo!"
Lu Daqi looked at this long-time friend and said with emotion: "You and I have been together for more than ten years..."
"yes!"
The staff member Cao Feng smiled and echoed: "We have been together for more than ten years. I have spent more time with Dong Weng than my wife."
"Hahaha!"
These words made Lu Daqi feel relieved a lot. He stopped being nervous and said with a serious expression: "When I enter Beijing this time, my situation is very different."
"Comparable to a carp leaping over the dragon's gate."
Cao Feng's eyes were full of longing and he said softly: "Congratulations to Dong Weng, congratulations to Dong Weng."
"It's too early to tell."
Lu Daqi shook his head: "While everything has not yet settled, we have to keep a low profile."
"This matter is too sensitive, and the situation in the court has changed drastically."
In the current Shaowu Dynasty, the cabinet firmly controls the government because of the emperor's trust, and the emperor rarely pushes back on his votes, which increases the authority of the cabinet.
The six ministers are also not vegetarians, and their qualifications and abilities are not bad. Although they were at a disadvantage in the cabinet confrontation, they were not defeated like a mountain.
From a party perspective, it is mainly divided into two factions.
One is the Yuan Cong faction, the Hanzhong Conglong veterans headed by Chief Assistant Zhao Shu. Although they are small in number, they are powerful.
Secondly, the later Cong faction, such as Wang Yingxiong, Feng Xianzong, etc., can also have a back and forth with Yuan Cong.
However, the Houcong sect is divided into the Donglin sect and the new sect.
The two had different views on the Donglin Party. The Donglin faction believed that the Donglin Party had mixed success and failure in the Chongzhen Dynasty.
The new faction believes that the Donglin Party's faults outweigh its merits and should be thrown into the paper pile and abandoned completely.
For example, Zhang Shenyan is the banner of the Donglin Party, and he believes that the Donglin Party is also meritorious, so he has been wooing those scattered Donglin Party members.
New factions such as Jiang Yueguang came from the separation from the Donglin Party and deeply hated the Donglin Party. They were mostly composed of non-Jiangnan people and young officials.
Now that Lu Daqi has entered the cabinet, it can be an unexpected surprise for Zhang Shenyan, and the two factions can also be tied in terms of high-end combat power.
Others are naturally unwilling because their interests will be harmed.
Power is like this, if you have more power, others will have less power.
"In my opinion, as long as Dong Weng has his heart set on the imperial court and follows His Majesty's footsteps, he will definitely be a sure shot at joining the cabinet this time."
"oh?"
Lu Daqi looked slightly surprised and said with a smile: "That's exactly the reason."
Although he was far away at the border, how could Lu Daqi let go of the news about the capital?
After all, it is the center of power. If he doesn't look at it a few times a day, he can't sleep.
In recent days, the emperor's thoughts have become clear.
This is preparation for the use of troops!
Looking around, the only people who could make the emperor pay attention were the Manchu slaves in Liaodong.
Under such circumstances, it was natural for him, the Minister of War, who was familiar with military affairs, to join the cabinet.
"Liaodong——"
"Dong Weng Ming sees thousands of miles."
Cao Feng praised.
"I have to plan carefully."
Lu Daqi rubbed his temples and began to think.
Obviously, the exam for entering the cabinet is this clear question, a clear question that makes people want to stop.
Under heavy snowfall, the army delayed for several days, and finally returned to the capital before the Chinese New Year.
With no time to rest, Lu Daqi rushed to Yuquan Villa and asked to see the emperor.
As expected, he was taken into the villa.
It was like a spring day in the warm house, and Lu Daqi was roused.