My father is Jiajing

Baoding Palace.

The sky was slightly dark, the sun was setting, and a beautiful sunset glow slowly unfolded on the horizon, a scene of dark green with distinct and blended layers like an ink painting.

At this moment, the starlight began to appear like gems on the night sky that was turning from blue to purple.

However, this hint of purple was very light and was soon replaced by a deeper blue, revealing the true nature of the vast and boundless starry sky.

Zhu Zaigui and Emperor Jiajing, father and son, sat outside the small pavilion with a small stove in front of them for heating.

Emperor Jiajing looked up at the brilliant starry sky and couldn't help but sigh: "I haven't seen such a brilliant starry sky for a long time."

Zhu Zaigui pushed a cup of warm tea to Emperor Jiajing and asked him to hold it to keep warm.

At the same time, Zhu Zaigui also laughed and said, "Father has been in the capital for a long time. The capital is crowded with people and surrounded by smoke, and there are thousands of lights shining brightly. Naturally, it is not as clear as the starry sky here in Baoding."

After hearing Zhu Zaigui's explanation, Emperor Jiajing thought about it for a moment, and finally laughed, "It seems to be true. Then, when we arrive in Anlu, won't the starry sky there be even more brilliant?"

Zhu Zaigui smiled again and said, "That must be the case."

Emperor Jiajing looked up at the starry sky for a while, and his mood became more relaxed than ever before.

After taking another sip of the warm tea in the cup, he turned to Zhu Zaigui and said, "What do you think about the issue mentioned by Hu Zongxian?"

The Hu Zongxian issue that Emperor Jiajing was talking about was the proposal on jointly implementing a new military policy with the Ministry of Revenue and the Five Military Commanderies that Hu Zongxian had sent over an express route of eight hundred miles today.

Zhu Zaigui used the iron skewer in his hand to poke the charcoal fire in the small stove in front of him.

Just as the charcoal fire was being poked and made a cracking sound, Zhu Zaigui said, "What Hu Zongxian wanted was what I asked him to do before I left Beijing. He should have finished looking through the archives of the Ministry of War these days and understand the difficulty of this matter."

"That's why I thought of getting two more government offices to work together, and then passing this matter to me so that I can give him some advice."

Emperor Jiajing also laughed when he heard this. "This Hu Zongxian looks like a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He has a lot of ideas."

Zhu Zaigui smiled and said, "Yes, if he didn't have these thoughts, he wouldn't have come this far, let alone completed the important task of suppressing the Japanese in the southeast."

"This person is good at integrating the forces of all parties, and then taking the initiative from them to achieve his desired strategic intentions."

"I don't really have a plan for his thoughts. After all, the affairs of the court and the world cannot be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach."

"Many times, what is needed is compromise among all parties and a breakthrough at a certain point to achieve a breakthrough."

"Now Hu Zongxian has handed me a feasible solution to the problem. He is just trying to use my influence to suppress and profit from the Ministry of Personnel and the Five Military Commandery to do things for him."

"I think this is no big deal. As long as he can make the first breakthrough, I can help him with the rest."

"After all, the guard system is no longer suitable for the times. During the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu, the guard system was invincible. That was because both Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu established their country through military exploits. The court had to use troops countless times every year, and most of them were large-scale battles with more than hundreds of thousands of troops."

"At that time, the soldiers of the garrisons could follow the generals to receive military awards to make up for other problems. But during the reigns of Emperors Renzong and Xuanzong, the imperial court needed to recuperate and could no longer launch external expeditions at the expense of human resources and resources like Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu did."

"So, these soldiers who once could fight for wealth and fame in the battlefield can only stay quietly in their respective garrison areas, doing hard work as half farmers and half soldiers, and they can't see any hope of turning their lives around."

"In addition, the exploitation and oppression of ordinary soldiers by military officers in various garrisons also made it impossible for more garrison soldiers to survive by relying on the livelihood designed for them by the imperial court."

"So during the Zhengtong period, there was a large-scale desertion of soldiers from the garrisons. The imperial court saw this situation and knew that it couldn't just suppress it, so it acquiesced to it."

"After all, if we can't feed so many people, and let them gather together, with weapons and equipment provided by the court, and a well-organized sequence, it is easy to have unpredictable disaster consequences."

"Later, in order to make up for the problem of the court's military resources, the conscription system was implemented for a period of time. However, the flaws of this system were also obvious."

"The imperial court allocated funds to each local garrison to recruit local braves as soldiers to suppress rebellions and punish bandits. After the mission is completed, they can be allowed to take off their armor and return to farming."

"But in actual practice, the court cannot do without these recruited soldiers, so it has to keep spending money to support them. It is true that the money is paid by the court, but these soldiers have become private soldiers belonging to a certain general to a certain extent."

"The imperial court is still in control of the situation. Even if these generals who have the power to employ their own troops have second thoughts, they dare not think of showing up."

"But if the court's finances are in trouble and it is unable to provide these recruits with a living wage on time, the generals in charge of them will be suspected of being self-respecting."

"If a major famine disaster occurs at this time, causing a sharp increase in refugees, these refugees will surely vent all their anger and resentment on the government and the court."

"The imperial court was unable to provide money and food to suppress them, and the consequences were disastrous."

"So, I asked Hu Zongxian to handle the military affairs because I wanted to find a temporary and safe way to put the military power that was floating around in the court back in your father's hands."

"Let future soldiers and officers, no matter what their purpose is in joining the army, clearly understand that the emperor is their real breadwinner, not those guards who recruited under the guise of the court's money."

After listening to Zhu Zaigui's words, Emperor Jiajing fell into deep thought.

The current military policy of the Ming Dynasty is full of various dangers and uncertainties as Zhu Zaigui just analyzed.

The current imperial court is still strong enough to suppress local and personal ambitions.

But if the national power becomes increasingly weak, the court has less and less money and grain available, and there are natural disasters and man-made disasters in the local areas, once a source of terror is detonated, the consequences will be truly unimaginable.

Emperor Jiajing sighed in agreement, "Yes. In the eighth year of Jiajing, Gui E announced the military register of the country, and there were only 970,000 soldiers. Compared with the time of Taizu and Chengzu, it is much less. The desertion of some garrisons has reached 80% of the total number of soldiers, and many border garrisons have only half of their troops left."

"But the border problems were becoming increasingly serious, and the court was in urgent need of replenishing its troops, so it directly liberalized the recruitment system. Recruited soldiers were different from the garrison troops. They were not hereditary and could come and go relatively freely. But because the recruitment system destroyed the idea of ​​"separation of soldiers and commanders" in the early garrison system, the court had to delegate military power to the generals, otherwise it would not be able to form effective combat effectiveness."

"Under such circumstances, the imperial court's control over military power has been quietly declining over the years. Take Qi Jiguang, who was highly valued by Hu Zongxian in the southeast, for example. His soldiers were actually called the 'Qi Family Army'. Where does this name put the imperial court?"

"If there is a change in the world in the future, won't these generals with the power of recruitment become local military tyrants that are too powerful for the imperial court to get rid of?"

Emperor Jiajing also had a certain depth of insight into the issues, but due to the previous reality, even though he could see some problems, he could only let them go and could not make much change. Now, with the establishment of a large trade market, the border troubles in the north of the court have been eliminated, and there is no need to worry about a major war. The Japanese pirates in the southeast have also returned to their former peace after several years of suppression by Hu Zongxian.

If we don't seize the opportunity now, and take advantage of the court's current strong financial situation, to sort out and resolve the military system issue, it would be a real waste of time!
Zhu Zaigui hummed in agreement, "Father, what you said is absolutely right. I am willing to help you solve this problem."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Zaigui with moved satisfaction. This son was truly a relief for him.

Not only is he a man of both civil and military talents, but he is also able to think of things in a comprehensive manner. At the same time, he is not competitive and has never taken the initiative to show off his achievements and fame.

He also attributed all his achievements to Emperor Jiajing himself.

Even looking at history, few people have been able to achieve this.

Emperor Jiajing said: "If you think this is feasible, I will approve it."

When Zhu Zaigui heard what Emperor Jiajing said, he couldn't help but bow to him and said, "Thank you, father."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Zaigui's bow and laughed again, "Why should we, father and son, thank you? The Ming Dynasty belongs to me as well as you. I have seen everything you have done for the Ming Dynasty and know that you are wholeheartedly devoted to it without any selfish motives. How can I be less magnanimous than you?"

"Just go for it, I'll cover for you in the end!"

Emperor Jiajing also gave full assurance, which touched Zhu Zaigui deeply.

Zhu Zaigui could not help but thank him again, "I will definitely live up to your expectations and complete this matter perfectly."

Emperor Jiajing nodded and pulled his cloak again.

Seeing this, Zhu Zaigui immediately said, "It's getting cold, I'll take you to bed."

Emperor Jiajing did not refuse. The weather was indeed a bit cold at this time, and he really could not stand the current temperature outside.

Zhu Zaigui stood up and helped Emperor Jiajing to stand up. Then he sent him to the bedroom of the temporary palace and told Li Fang to serve him well.

Finally, Zhu Zaigui left Emperor Jiajing.

After returning to his own bedroom, Zhu Zaigui took out the secret memorial that Hu Zongxian had urgently handed over today, and wrote the word "OK" on it with a red pen.

Then he handed it to Meng Chong, asking him to order someone to deliver the reply to the memorial to Hu Zongxian as quickly as possible early the next morning.

The next day, Emperor Jiajing, who had a good night's sleep, came out of his bedroom early.

He seemed quite satisfied with his sleep last night.

After all, he had encountered a very dangerous fire twenty or thirty years ago.

So now I can have a peaceful sleep outside the capital, and this feeling is really refreshing.

At this time, Zhu Zaigui also came out of his bedroom.

Seeing the energetic Emperor Jiajing, he approached him and bowed respectfully: "Father, I wish you the best."

Emperor Jiajing looked at Zhu Zaigui's appearance and laughed, "Get ready, we will continue our southern tour."

Zhu Zaigui immediately replied: "Yes, sir!"

Then the grand ceremonial procession began to be prepared, and after a short while, Emperor Jiajing and Zhu Zaigui came out of the Baoding Palace together.

Officials of all ranks in Baoding, just as they did yesterday when they welcomed the emperor, gathered on one side of the palace, bowed to Emperor Jiajing and Zhu Zaigui, and respectfully saw the emperor off to continue his southern tour.

When they saw the imperial procession gradually disappear from their sight, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although you can only receive the emperor once in this life, it is enough to show off the glory for a lifetime.

But since ancient times, the greater the glory, the greater the danger.

If something went wrong during the reception, like the fire or water that happened in the Weihui Palace decades ago, none of them would be alive.

So, now seeing that Emperor Jiajing and Zhu Zaigui had left Baoding safely, the officials of Baoding, both big and small, really breathed a sigh of relief!
At the same time, they were also impressed by the power of hardened roads!

Otherwise, how could the emperor come and leave Baoding so quickly?

The prefect of Baoding felt extremely happy when he looked at the newly built railway track!
Although he didn't quite understand how this railway would be used, after the hardened road was proven, he felt that this railway would definitely be very powerful.

If this road is completed, it can also bridge the distance between Baoding and the capital like a hardened road. Then, wouldn't Baoding also be considered a "Beijing official" in the future?
Thinking of this, the prefect of Baoding and officials from all over Baoding were also full of longing for the future.

But if they knew that the future railway line might take a straighter line, pass through a small village called "Shijiazhuang" and form a new town there, I wonder what these Baoding officials would think?
However, if this really happens in the future, it will not only be Baoding that will lose, but Kaifeng in Henan will also face such an embarrassing situation.

After all, future road construction will definitely not be like before, where we have to consider too many city defense issues and take detours to some more important cities.

Future roads will only choose the best, shortest and optimal routes to form a more efficient transportation network.

After all, in the future, no matter how strong a city is, or how easy it is to defend and how difficult it is to attack, it will be vulnerable to modern weapons.

Therefore, cities like Baoding and Kaifeng, which are located along the best route and built relying on their geographical advantages, will easily fall behind in the future wave of development.

This is an inevitable fact of development and not a reality that can be influenced simply by human power.

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Ask for monthly ticket~~~(End of this chapter)