amaotonovel Chapter 723 A prime example of pleasing neither side
Chapter 723 A prime example of pleasing neither side
Yang Shaofeng smiled, but instead of directly answering Emperor Zhu's question, he asked out of the blue, "May I ask, Father-in-law, if what came this time was not real Japanese pirates, then why are the commanders, captains, and centurions of the coastal garrisons, and even the ordinary soldiers, all mixed up with those people?"
Emperor Zhu frowned slightly and said, "They get involved with those people because it's profitable."
Yang Shaofeng nodded and said, "It's not just that there's profit to be made; more importantly, these people simply don't know fear."
There were four main types of soldiers in the early Ming Dynasty.
The first type consists of soldiers who followed Emperor Zhu in conquering the country from the very beginning; these are called "contributing soldiers".
The second type was soldiers who surrendered from Hu Yuan's side, referred to as "Guifu".
The third reason is that they are conscripted into the military because they have violated the law; this is called "exile."
The fourth method involved conscripting people from households with three or more brothers, known as "duoji".
These four situations actually correspond to four different mindsets.
The first type of "conquerors" followed Emperor Zhu in conquering the country from the very beginning. What were they after?
It cannot be ruled out that some people hoped their descendants would not suffer the same oppression as they did under the Hu Yuan government, but most were probably driven by the desire to gain a high position and wealth.
Even if all else fails, we have to give it our all and try to secure a government job.
The second type of "surrender" came from those who were afraid, or who saw the situation clearly, or who were coerced by their superiors, so they chose to surrender. Among them, the Mongol soldiers were the most numerous, and they were also the ones who fought the fiercest during Emperor Zhu's Northern Expedition.
The third type, "exile," is really not worth discussing. The existence of these people could not only affect the morale of the army, but also directly lower the status of soldiers. The collapse of the garrison system was actually related to this.
The fourth type, "duoji," was also a major reason for the collapse of the garrison system, because duoji involved forced conscription.
Pay attention.
In the early Ming Dynasty, most of the officers such as commanders, chiliarchs, and centurions were promoted through merit from the other three types of soldiers besides those who had served in the army. Among them, officers from the first type were the most numerous.
Whether Emperor Zhu was ignorant or tricked, he created the hereditary military household system very early on.
In other words, apart from the preferential treatment they received from Emperor Zhu during the early years of the founding of the dynasty, these soldiers had no other way out.
As for the generals... they were almost all ruthless veterans who had been through countless battles, yet Old Deng didn't treat them very well.
Give the simplest example.
If calculated solely based on military merit, many commanders, chiliarchs, and even centurions would have enough merit to be granted a noble title. Even if they didn't become marquises, they could at least become viscounts or barons.
And what did Old Deng do?
Instead of granting titles of viscount and baron, these generals were allowed to inherit the ranks of commander, chiliarch, and centurion.
This is very unfair to ordinary soldiers, because the children of commanders will become commanders, the children of chiliarchs will become chiliarchs, but the children of us common soldiers will have to become common soldiers.
However, for a large number of generals, this is also very unfair. We risked our lives to fight for Zhu Chongba and were hoping to be ennobled as marquises. Now, not only can we not get the title of marquis, but you won't even give us a viscount or baron. You want our descendants to serve as soldiers for Zhu Chongba.
Therefore, the hereditary system of military households offended both the generals and the soldiers, making it a prime example of pleasing neither side.
If it weren't for this reason, Yang Shaofeng wouldn't have been able to implement the reforms of the Lingshanwei and other garrisons so smoothly.
Similarly, it was because of these messy reasons that these generals and soldiers would associate with the local gentry and gentry because there was profit to be made.
Of course, the number of soldiers involved is not large, but the number of generals involved is certainly not small.
Especially those commanders and chiliarchs who narrowly escaped death on the battlefield, seeing that they could no longer obtain titles, focused on making money and trying to build more wealth for their children and grandchildren.
As for being beheaded after the incident?
Nothing to say.
They were all his old brothers who had fought alongside him, Zhu Chongba, to conquer the world. Could he really be so ruthless as to target his old brothers?
Besides, even if Zhu Chongba is ruthless, so what?
It's all the same old life anyway.
I'm not afraid at all.
Emperor Zhu, his face dark and sour, pondered Yang Shaofeng's words, "These people don't know fear at all." Yang Shaofeng took another sip of the small dragon ball and continued, "Besides not being afraid, the main reason is that the soldiers have no control over them, and they are not worried that the soldiers will bypass them to report them."
"What's worse, a large number of soldiers have no concept of it at all."
"I never thought of filing a complaint, nor did I think of protecting my country or the people."
“They might even spend their entire lives serving in the military in one place. If they can build good relationships with the local gentry and gentry, it would actually be a good thing for them.”
"A variety of messy reasons combined to create the chaotic situation where generals, soldiers, and local gentry were all mixed together."
Faced with Yang Shaofeng's analysis, Emperor Zhu first gave a faint "hmm," then frowned deeply.
Now that the problem has been analyzed, what are the solutions?
The constant redeployment meant that soldiers from a garrison would be stationed in one place for several years, and then moved to another place.
Or will it be the same tactics that this scoundrel used in places like Lingshanwei, cutting the old and weak and transferring a large number of soldiers directly to farms?
Or, as this bastard once said, set a service period so that soldiers can retire from the military when they reach a certain age.
The more Emperor Zhu thought about it, the more confused he felt.
There are so many things to do.
The garrison system and military system are the cornerstones of the nation. A change in one part affects the whole; they cannot be changed so easily.
After a long while, Emperor Zhu said to himself, "Shouldn't we return to the capital?"
Back to Beijing?
Yang Shaofeng immediately perked up his ears.
When Lao Deng was in Ningyang County, I was easily scolded even if I went to the fields to drink tea.
If Lao Deng returns to the capital, not only will Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen have a headache, but even I will be able to comfortably lie in the fields and drink tea.
Just thinking about it makes me happy!
Yang Shaofeng felt increasingly pleased with himself and couldn't help but smile as he said, "Actually, I have a small suggestion."
Emperor Zhu snapped out of his daze and looked at Yang Shaofeng, asking, "What's your opinion?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "What about those who are conscripted into the army? Won't they make those who were conscripted, surrendered, or gathered feel uncomfortable?"
"Besides, they are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. It doesn't seem right to divide them into those who joined the expedition, those who surrendered, and those who were stationed elsewhere."