Chapter 82: A dilapidated house with decayed beams, learning from others

Reviewing the troops in person... Zhu Yijun fell into deep thought.

It is not surprising that Zhang Juzheng had this idea.

This Prime Minister is a real radical when it comes to military equipment.

When it comes to border troubles, although he would proactively propose strategies of tribute and control based on the situation, what he was thinking in his heart was, "The defense seems to be roughly ready now... But I think that the enemy is like a beast, and if we don't hurt them, the trouble will not stop..." - Although we have more than enough defense now, the border troubles cannot be stopped unless we hurt the enemy!
However, faced with the realistic problems of "we have few soldiers, insufficient food, and inappropriate generals", Zhang Juzheng believed that "these three are not a big concern".

The most fundamental problem lies in the emperor's determination.

As long as the emperor can "work hard and set his holy will first", other problems can be gradually improved through meticulous governance.

As for the talk of a military parade, it is even less surprising.

Because this is bringing up old stuff again.

At that time, Zhang Juzheng had requested the late emperor in his "Six Matters Memorial" that "the defenses inside and outside the capital are weak... every year or during the farming off-season in winter, I respectfully invite Your Majesty to come and inspect the troops in person."

Zhang Juzheng was not afraid of the emperor's interference in military power. In order to strengthen military preparations, he even took the initiative to request the emperor to personally review the troops.

This alone is enough to show one's sincerity.

Zhang Juzheng waited quietly for the emperor's reply.

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

A long time passed.

Zhu Yijun slowly shook his head and said, "Let's discuss this matter during the winter farming off-season."

He is only a little over 1.4 meters tall now.

If such a small pudding wants to review an army of 100,000, it will instead eliminate the filters of some soldiers, which will be counterproductive.

These ministers treated him with great respect because they could see his character and decisiveness from his lectures and memorials to the emperor.

But if it is a grand review, everyone will watch from a distance and will only judge people by their appearance.

Of course, this is not the point. The point is that the Beijing camp is so bad that there is no need to win over the hearts of the people and boost morale.

Ever since July of the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, when the Tatars approached the capital, the rotten interior of the Beijing camp was exposed to everyone.

Faced with foreign enemies attacking the capital, the army, with less than 50,000 or 60,000 men, was driven out of the city gate. They all shed tears and dared not move forward. The generals also looked at each other in pale color.

Then they guarded the camp gates tightly and allowed the Tatars to plunder the area around the capital for eight days.

Why is it so bad?

Naturally, the soldiers and generals are rotten.

After this incident, Sejong was furious and ordered the rectification of the capital camp.

Wang Bangrui, who was in charge of the Ministry of War at the time, reported in the memorial, "According to the records, there are only about 140,000 people on the scene... and those training in the camps are no more than 50,000 to 60,000. The Ministry of Revenue provides them with food, but the Ministry of War deploys them without any."

There are 140,000 people on paper, but in reality there are only 50,000 or 60,000.

When it came time to ask for money and food, the quota of 140,000 was already met, and when it came time to send troops to fight, there were no people anyway.

As for Wang Bangrui's request to "dispatch six officials from the wind power department to investigate all the twelve regiments", it was not implemented in time and he was dismissed from office.

No one knows exactly how many people there are.

With people collecting empty salaries to this extent, how can they have any fighting power?

At that time, Sejong restructured the Beijing Camp, intending to expand the regular troops to 120,000 and the reserve troops to 140,000, for a total of 260,000.

Yan Song said, "We don't even have enough regular troops now, let alone reserve troops?", directly saying that it was not feasible.

Sejong had no choice but to withdraw the grand blueprint of 260,000 troops in the capital.

The reform was completed the following year, and Li Xi, Marquis of Fengcheng, reported to the emperor that "the current number of regular and reserve troops in the capital is only 120,000."

This is the quota of the Xinjing Camp, 120,000 people.

Under the pretext of adding selected vanguards, model soldiers and able-bodied men, the number of soldiers was expanded to more than 12, and the opportunity was taken to investigate problems such as occupation of salaries and false salary.

The conclusion was reached that there were only 40,000 soldiers actually available in the Beijing camp.

It was not until the 38th year of the Jiajing reign that Emperor Shizong and Zhenyuan Marquis Gu Huan expanded the number of soldiers to 90,000 - 30 small camps in the Beijing camp, "with 3,000 official troops in each small camp".

But as Emperor Shizong passed away and Gu Huan was transferred away, the Beijing Camp during the Longqing period was once again under the control of the Ministry of War.

It is not clear how many soldiers are available at this time.

In addition to the number of soldiers, the incompetence of the generals was also an important reason for the corruption of the Beijing army.

It doesn't mean that the generals of the Ming Dynasty were useless, but that under the current customs, the Beijing Army naturally has the function of screening out and retaining the useless ones.

First, the meritorious officials and military officers of the Beijing Garrison formed cliques and were exclusive.

The Beijing Army was initially customized and only selected from among the nobles. Over the years, a pattern of internal hybridization was formed.

How many capable people can emerge from a base of more than a dozen noble families? The conclusion is self-evident.

For this reason, in October of the first year of the Longqing reign, the central government violated the ancestral system and summoned Qi Jiguang, the general of Fujian, to assist in military affairs.

However, "opinions in Taiwan and the province are divided, and some hold extreme views."

To put it bluntly, the resistance was too great, so he had no choice but to be changed to the deputy general of the Shenji Camp.

However, even as a deputy general, he was transferred after only three months - this was because Qi Jiguang reported to the emperor that the soldiers in the Beijing camp were mostly fostered by the rich and powerful and were difficult to discipline.

The second is that the regular salary of military officers is not high.

For example, the generals of Xuanfu and Datong had hundreds of hectares of land for maintaining integrity, and could earn thousands of silver taels every year.

But the Beijing Army did not have this treatment.

Therefore, the salary of the Beijing army is the lowest, but the expenses for socializing and returning gifts are huge.

Thirdly, the opportunities for promotion through meritorious service in the Beijing Army are extremely limited.

After the first year of the Longqing reign, border generals who had defended without fault for three years could be promoted.

Afterwards, the Beijing camp wanted to increase its rank "according to the example of border generals", but was rejected by the Ministry of War on the grounds that "the interests, labor and rest are very different."

As a result, a situation gradually emerged in which military officers "focused on the outside and neglected the inside, and regarded the Beijing camp as a cold place" and "once a general entered this place, it was like being abandoned."

If a frontier general was selected by the Ministry of War to join the Beijing camp, he would often ask the governor-general to "consult and find excuses to avoid the request."

In the camp, "the commander, the lieutenant general, the captain-general and other officers tried every means to seek promotion outside the camp; the newly promoted deputy general of the Beijing camp and other officers begged to stay in the camp and refused to transfer to the camp."

The border generals were unwilling to be transferred to the Beijing camp, but were uneasy in their positions even after being transferred reluctantly.

There were many knowledgeable people in the Ministry of War, so they came up with a solution - to "simply transfer those who are inferior to others, for example, if someone passed the exam with a mediocre score, he would be transferred to the Beijing camp; or if someone is not fit for external use, he would be kept in the Beijing camp."

Simply put, those who are unqualified will be transferred to the Beijing Camp as a punishment for military generals.

The Beijing camp became a place where "cowards entered the camp as reserve personnel in the hope of being promoted", so one can imagine the laxity of sergeant training.

All in all, the Beijing camp is now completely rotten.

These are all underlying diseases and cannot be cured by Zhu Yijun's military parade to boost morale.

Instead of making a big fanfare and attracting attention, it is better to wait until there are some results before conducting a review.

Zhang Juzheng saw the emperor's expression and knew that he had made up his mind, so he did not try to persuade him any further - the emperor cared more about the Beijing camp than the previous emperor did, so there was no need to rush him too much.

He pondered for a moment and reminded: "Your Majesty, if you want to reorganize the Beijing camp, it is best to consult the Ministry of War first."

The previous transfer of General Gu Huan to the Beijing Camp was based on the approval of the Ministry of War.

Fortunately, Gu Huan did not fight too much for power and responsibilities afterwards, which calmed the dissatisfaction of the Ministry of War.

If there is any big move now, the Ministry of War will probably be in an uproar again.

This is to remind the emperor that it is best to discuss things together.

Zhu Yijun nodded: "I appreciate the words of the Prime Minister, who is mature and prudent."

After the imperial court negotiated peace with the right wing of the Tatars, the seven towns west of Xuanfu were relatively stable. However, Jizhen and Liaodong still had to guard against the left wing tribes, and the pressure on the capital was only alleviated.

If things get too unpleasant with the Ministry of War, it might ruin the overall situation.

After they discussed some other things, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Guoguang bowed and left.

Zhu Yijun stood up to see him off and suddenly remembered something.

He called out to Zhang Juzheng who had already walked out of the hall, walked quickly forward, and said that he wanted to see him off for a while.

After they walked out of Chengguang Hall, Zhu Yijun led the way and said, "Prime Minister, there is another sum of money that I forgot to mention before."

Zhang Juzheng's face turned dark.

He turned around and looked at Wang Guoguang, both of them showing helpless expressions.

Zhu Yijun ignored their expressions and said seriously, "It is for the future land survey."

This is naturally insensitive.

After Zhang Juzheng became the Prime Minister, he made it clear to all officials what he needed to do in order to attract knowledgeable people to gather together.

Although we have to wait until the law is passed to measure the land, everyone knows that it is a matter of time.

Hearing the emperor's words, Zhang Juzheng was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of emotion. The emperor's reason for asking for money was much more serious than that of the previous emperor.

Wang Guoguang cast a concerned look.

Zhu Yijun raised a question: "Prime Minister, should the local governments do the land survey on their own, or should the central government send people to cooperate with the local governments?"

It is said to be cooperation, but in fact it is just supervision and re-measurement.

When Zhang Juzheng heard that it was a serious matter, he restrained his expression.

After thinking for a while, he answered seriously: "Of course the Ministry of Revenue will send various land survey offices to cooperate with the local governments." If the local governments only report what they have, then what is the point of land survey?

Zhu Yijun nodded and looked at Wang Guoguang: "Minister Wang, are all the officials of the Qingli Division counted?"

Wang Guoguang smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, the imperial examination is already exhausting enough, and there are not many officials who are willing to spend their time calculating."

"But most of the clerks are proficient in it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Juzheng understood what the emperor meant.

He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to teach another group of officials who are proficient in mathematics?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said with a smile: "Not only the officials, but also the eunuchs and the Jinyiwei should be trained. For things like measuring the land, it is good to have more pairs of eyes."

Immediately, he waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about how much money it will cost. I will take you two to see something good!"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the cabinet still has a few things to discuss. I really don't have time today."

Zhu Yijun curled his lips and did not force him to stay, indicating that he could return to the cabinet first.

After Zhang Juzheng left, Zhu Yijun said to Wang Guoguang: "Minister Wang, please wait a moment. Let me change my clothes and we will go to the new school."

……

The new institution of higher learning was located next to the Imperial Ancestral Temple outside Donghua Gate, adjacent to the Imperial College.

Of course, the scale is naturally much smaller.

Compared with the Imperial College, which covers an area of ​​30 acres and has three courtyards, the new institution is less than half the size.

A year ago, Zhu Heng said that the project would be completed in November, but later Zhu Yijun raised some more money and expanded the land to ten acres, which kept Shangshu Zhu busy for another two months.

It was not completed until the end of last month.

Zhu Yijun greeted the two palaces, changed into casual clothes, and then went out of Donghua Gate with Wang Guoguang.

The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly guarded the new school along the way in advance to ensure safety.

Zhu Yijun asked the attendants to keep a distance and talked with Wang Guoguang as they walked.

Wang Guoguang asked curiously, "Your Majesty, why hasn't this new school been named yet?"

Logically speaking, the name should be chosen before completion, otherwise it would be difficult to hang a plaque.

But until now, the emperor still mentions a new institution of higher learning.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "I haven't thought of a suitable one yet."

In his opinion, it is best to give meaning to a name.

But if he now creates a name like the Academy of Sciences, it will lose this connotation and will be ugly.

It’s better to wait for the right opportunity and a suitable name to appear.

The two chatted casually, and soon they arrived at the new school.

The main gate of the school faces north and south and is three rooms wide.

Four lacquered and carved solid wood pillars support the facade.

The plaque above and the couplets on the left and right are empty, which inevitably makes it look shabby.

There are brick screen walls on the east and west sides of the gate, with the words "Seeking Truth" and "Asking for the Way" written on them.

Zhu Yijun stepped on the green stone bricks, looked at the two small saplings in front of the door, and couldn't help shaking his head: "Minister Zhu really is a place where you should be careful."

He reached out and stroked the sapling: "I don't know when it will grow into a towering tree."

After saying this, he led Wang Guoguang inside.

At this time, Jiang Keqian was two steps ahead, alerting those around him.

"Your Majesty!" Just at this moment, Deputy Principal Li Youzi came out with a look of panic on his face.

Zhu Yijun signaled him not to bow and went straight to the point: "Where is Cheng Dawei?"

Li Youzi said quickly, "Your Majesty, Cheng Dawei is teaching the students. I will go and call him now."

Zhu Yijun stopped him and said, "No need, I'll go over there and listen."

If the emperor had to walk a few more steps, everyone would have to follow him.

Only then did Wang Guoguang have time to greet Li Youzi: "Why isn't Li Shaoqing on duty at the Dali Temple?"

Chen Dong, the Right Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, went to Nanzhili. Logically, he should have been too busy to handle everything, but the Left Shaoqing still had time to come to the new school.

Li Youzi bowed towards the imperial palace and said, "The Empress Dowager Cisheng asked me to look after Prince Lu and Princess Yongning when they are out of the palace. As the deputy head of the academy, I have no choice but to do my duty."

Zhu Yijun turned his head and glanced at him: "My brother and sister are in class today?"

Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu and Princess Yongning Zhu Yao'an also reached the age of enlightenment.

After that, he invited a teacher to the palace to give lectures.

Zhu Yijun then suggested that his two younger brothers and sisters could attend classes at the new school.

It is not convenient for women to go out of the house to attend classes, but the new school has just opened and has not yet started recruiting students, so there is not a lot of mixing and it is relatively safe. Besides, Empress Dowager Li was born in a commoner family and is relatively less rigid, so she also holds a supportive attitude.

The emperor and empress showed mercy, and the outsider reported the matter twice but nothing happened, so no one paid any attention to it anymore.

Li Youzi lowered his head and replied quickly: "The academy holds classes on the 3rd, 6th and 9th days. Prince Lu and the princess leave the palace to attend classes on the 3rd day."

Zhu Yijun nodded.

The place where lectures are given is in the main hall in the center of the school.

There are corridors around the main hall, and pools surround the corridors. The hall has double-eaved roofs with pointed corners and is covered with yellow glazed tiles.

Zhu Yijun looked around and found the environment to be quite good. It seemed that the Ministry of Works had not embezzled too much money.

He turned sideways and listened to the movement inside.

The group followed the emperor, imitating his example and pricking up their ears.

I just heard some noise coming from inside.

"So, if we divide the fifty-six taels of silver into seven parts, that is, fifty-six divided by seven, what is the result?"

"For eight!"

"Eight!"

The simple question triggered a round of responses.

Zhu Yijun also heard Li Chengming's voice inside.

Nowadays, the students in the new academy are similar to those in the Beijing Guards Martial Arts School. They are young men sent in by the nobles to guess the emperor's intentions.

There are only about a hundred people in total, and they are spread out over different classes, so it’s good if we have a dozen people coming every day.

Wang Guoguang looked at Li Youzi inquiringly, as if to say, it's so simple, is it worth opening a new school?

Li Youzi had no idea what was going on, so he just pretended not to see it.

Everyone waited for a while before the noise inside gradually died down.

Jiang Keqian pushed open the door and went in first to clear the area to prevent the crowd from rushing out and disturbing the emperor.

When the door was pushed open, Wang Guoguang saw a polished stone hanging in the center of the school with traces of charcoal writing on it.

There were a bunch of strange symbols on it, which made him confused.

At this time, knowing that the emperor was coming, those who were not qualified were driven out through the side door.

Only Zhu Yiliu, Zhu Yao'an and Li Chengming came forward to pay their respects.

"Big brother, His Majesty the Emperor."

"His Majesty."

Zhu Yijun asked the palace maid to take Prince Lu out to play, and he took Zhu Yao'en into the school.

Seeing that there was no arrangement for him, Li Chengming followed silently.

Cheng Dawei quickly saluted: "Your Majesty."

Since he came to Beijing, he has been favored by the emperor and stayed in the new institution to teach and work.

On weekdays, he usually does his own research and does things as the emperor asks him to do.

Only the class just now was full of dignitaries, so he was allowed to teach the class.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said gently, "Cheng Binqu, there is no need to be so polite. I heard that the manuscript has been completed?"

This order has been given several months ago, and two volumes have been published before, but I was not very satisfied with either.

Now that it's almost done, I might as well ask Wang Guoguang from the Ministry of Revenue to take a look together.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Dawei apologized, turned around, picked up a book from the teacher's desk, and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, please correct me!"

No one could refuse the offer of writing a book, especially since it was the emperor's promise.

Zhu Yijun didn't take it, but smiled and shook his head: "I'm the one who reviewed this book. There's no point in reading it. It should be passed only when others can understand it."

He turned his head and looked at Wang Guoguang: "Minister Wang, why don't you take a look for me?"

Wang Guoguang had no idea what the emperor had brought him to see.

He took the book with both hands out of curiosity.

As soon as I got it, I saw the big words "Mathematics Enlightenment 1" on the cover.

(End of this chapter)