First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly helped him up, his eyes were also red.He looked at the soup carefully, and found that it was dark and thin, and the skin of the dough showed a thick red sauce due to long-term exposure to the sun, which could not be melted.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but grabbed Tang He's arm and shook it vigorously. He was very excited, "You've worked hard, you've worked hard!"

Tang He sighed: "When I left, the superior was only Wu Guogong, and now he is the son of the Ming Dynasty... In the past few years, the changes are really great. Our Ming Dynasty is flourishing, so I am very happy!"

Old Zhu said with a smile: "It is not because of the hard work of the big guys that we can have today, especially you, it is really not easy to persevere."

Zhu Yuanzhang turned his head to look at Zhang Ximeng, and said, "Mr. Zhang, take a look too. How should I reward you?"

Zhang Ximeng came over with a smile, Tang He became even more excited when he saw Zhang Ximeng.

"Mr. Zhang, you are very different from a few years ago! To be honest, in the past few years, whenever I can't hold on, I like to read Mr.'s articles to find solutions to problems. Almost all of us Mister's life!"

Zhang Ximeng smiled and said: "It's too good, it's too good! If a proposition is to be implemented, it cannot do without the hard work of the big guys. To be honest, it's not that I helped you, but that you have helped me! Let's just teach each other!"

Tang He laughed, "Mr. is still talking. It sounds comfortable. It's just that I have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, most of them are from the Miao tribe, and there are very few Han soldiers. Unlike other soldiers and horses, there is no one on how to arrange them." The right way."

Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord and I have discussed this matter more than once. The soldiers under your command can be tempered into steel, which is extraordinary. What I mean is to select a group of the best and become military trainers. I want to sharpen you all." The things that come out are brought to the recruits. In addition, the Miao soldiers are naturally treated equally. After the reorganization, the veterans will be scattered around and let them be village officials responsible for receiving immigrants. What do you think?"

Chapter 437

Zhang Ximeng and Tang He had a lot of conversations, but in conclusion, they still couldn't get rid of the four words of treating each other equally.And these four words are what Tang He and even all Miao soldiers care about most.

With this foundation, the next things are easy to talk about.

After sending Tang He away, Lao Zhu called Zhang Ximeng to stop again, the two monarchs and ministers had some more important things to say.

"Sir, these Miao soldiers are naturally loyal and brave, but in the past few years, they stayed away from the imperial court. They did not rely on the treasury's financial support, but relied on their own ability to manage their own weapons, food and salaries. They have their own set of rules, and We still have some discrepancies. This matter, Mister, you should think about it clearly."

Hearing this, Zhang Ximeng's expression became serious.

The most troublesome thing is this.

Tang He and Liu Bowen developed troops in Wuxi, and in fact formed a self-sufficient force.Tang He was naturally loyal, and Liu Bowen governed the local area strictly according to Zhang Ximeng's proposition.

But that's where the problem lies. Of course, Zhang Ximeng doesn't have the ability to take everything into consideration.

There are too many details, and we can only adapt to local conditions and adapt to the situation. This is also the key to Tang and their success.

But as the two parties join forces, two groups of people with different habits will objectively clash.

This matter has nothing to do with right or wrong, but if it is not handled properly, it will affect the unity and cause serious troubles... This kind of situation does not only exist on the Miao soldiers. As we all know, there are old people from Huaixi under Lao Zhu's command Conflict with literati in eastern Zhejiang.

The civil officials in Huaixi, headed by Li Shanchang and others, have far more status and power than Liu Bowen and Song Lian. It stands to reason that they are not equal opponents at all, and they cannot compete in the same arena.

But just because of each other's cliques, differences of opinion, and disputes between emotions, they go back and forth and make life and death impossible to deal with.

Under Lao Zhu, Zhang Ximeng has a very special role, which is to bridge differences and eliminate conflicts.

For example, for the old Huaixi people headed by Li Shanchang, Zhang Ximeng's overall attitude is to strictly restrain and act in accordance with the laws of the country.Li Menggeng and Ruan Hongdao, the two major ministers were overthrown, and Li Shanchang also learned to be good, not daring to provoke trouble.

As for the literati in eastern Zhejiang, Zhang Ximeng was actually more ruthless. He sent the most outstanding Liu Bowen out.

Coupled with the special relationship between Zhang Ximeng and the general, Li Shanchang couldn't intervene in the martial arts side, so he couldn't collude with the martial arts. Naturally, he lost his absolute advantage against the literati in eastern Zhejiang, so he couldn't crush them at will.

Whether civil or military, old or new, no one could ignore Zhang Ximeng, and Zhang Ximeng would not be coerced by any group of people. With him mediating, or even just sitting there, the court would be much more peaceful.

This is where Zhang Ximeng's value lies.

Now that Tang He returned with tens of thousands of people, it was tantamount to a direct collision with the original civil and military system.

If one is not handled well, the new couple will be dissatisfied and feel oppressed, while the old man will be full of resentment and feel that one will be treated more favorably than the other. With a new love, the old love will be forgotten.

If you mess around, conflicts will arise, and when the conflicts reach the point where they cannot be resolved, Zhu Yuanzhang will probably have to show his butcher knife and kill them all.

Anyway, the source of the problem is people, as long as the people are eliminated, the problem will disappear.

This is very Zhu Yuanzhang.

What makes Zhang Ximeng stronger than Lao Zhu is patience, meticulousness, and the ability to put himself in the situation, analyze problems concisely and clearly, and persuade all parties.

Of course, the reality tells us that not everyone can be persuaded, and not everyone can listen to the truth, so the one that can guarantee Zhang Ximeng's success in reasoning is the butcher's knife in Lao Zhu's hand.

Great, this fits perfectly!

"My lord, I don't think it's better than this, take advantage of the present and carry out a large-scale army reorganization!"

"The whole army?"

"Hmm!" Zhang Ximeng said, "Now Daming's soldiers and horses are not 50, but there are more than 40. Among them, there are 20 soldiers in Huaixi. After crossing the river, plus [-] soldiers from Jiangxi and other places. After the extermination of Chen, the number of troops gathered, including Tanghe’s Miao soldiers, was roughly calculated to be more than [-]. With so many soldiers and horses, their language habits, origins, and even the methods of training and command were all different.”

"If you don't rectify immediately and eliminate the barriers, you may form a group of private soldiers. In the past dynasties, arrogant soldiers and powerful generals are not a good thing, and they need to be strictly guarded against."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, Zhang Ximeng was right.

To be honest, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little uncertain about Miao Bing's situation, and he had to rely on Tang He for everything.Tang He's loyalty is naturally no problem, but what will happen after a long time?

It has not been resolved, let Tang He develop the "Miao King", or wait until the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, and find a way to get rid of Tang He, or Zhu Yuanzhang will start in advance to clear the obstacles?

Zhang Ximeng's prescription was to completely reorganize the army.

"Sir, what do you think about this matter?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "I thought that general conferring of meritorious generals should be carried out first, and temporarily let them leave the old department and no longer directly command troops and horses. Afterwards, we must play the role of trainers, educate the entire army, unify the reorganization, and unify the equipment. Unify the military regulations on food and pay... It also stipulates that generals at all levels should enter martial arts and receive training. I think the lord should work harder, give lectures and teach the generals in person, and then make best use of the situation, hire talents according to their ability, and redistribute them among the various armies. "

Zhang Ximeng thought for a while, and then said: "There is another important thing here, that is, let some veterans disarm and return to the fields, return to their hometowns, and then recruit recruits to realize the flow of personnel in the army. Only when they move, will they not be manipulated by the generals. , so that the soldiers return to the generals, and it is difficult to clean up."

Having said this, a gratified smile appeared on Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

As expected of Mr. Zhang, he is thoughtful and will not let us down.

In fact, for Zhang Ximeng, since he got rid of the vulgar thoughts about money, Zhang Ximeng has become more straightforward, and the suggestions he put forward are also clear at a glance. The so-called desire without desire is about his current situation.

Luo Furen has been arranged to serve as the chief envoy, and Yao Guangxiao will take over as the inspector. As for the commander of the army, it will almost be placed after the army is reorganized.

In this way, the local structure of the three divisions was formed.

Zhang Ximeng doesn't think there is anything wrong with the decentralization of power at the local level.

Even if the three divisions cannot handle government affairs well in the future and need to increase governors, it cannot be said that the separation of powers between the three divisions is wrong.

After all, at the beginning of the establishment of the Three Divisions, the target was that the power of the provinces was too heavy, and each province was like a kingdom. A provincial chief like Chahan Timur was no different from an emperor.

At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, this kind of mistake must be corrected, and more force must be used to really have an effect.

After repeated deduction by Zhang Ximeng, the overall idea was determined.

The next step is to communicate with all parties, persuade them, and support the overall plan.

This requires considerable patience, especially those Miao soldiers, which are the focus of Zhang Ximeng's efforts. He has to find a group of suitable personnel from them to enrich the team of trainers.

Let them be more thorough and understand Daming's proposition.

Zhang Ximeng turned into Teacher Zhang and appeared in the barracks.

In the past, it was Liu Bowen and others who gave lectures on their behalf, but now that the real master has arrived, it is naturally a fairy farting, which is extraordinary.

Zhang Ximeng received a warm welcome. Almost all the big guys have heard of his name, and about one-tenth of the literate soldiers have read Zhang Ximeng's articles, know his propositions, and copied Zhang Ximeng's articles. Keep it carefully, and take it out from time to time to have a look.

Although this literacy rate is much lower than that of the regular Ming army, considering the background of the Miao people, the harsh environment, and the scarcity of paper and pens, it is a miracle that they can achieve this level.

Obviously, Liu Bowen has made great contributions.

With a gentle smile, Zhang Ximeng appeared in front of the big guy and invited Liu Bowen to come on stage with him at the same time.

"Mr. Bowen, instead of letting me talk like a lotus flower here, why don't you ask the big guys why you are willing to join the army and fight bloody battles, even if the environment is difficult and you may lose your life at any time, you have no regrets … figuring out what we want, this thing, more than anything else.”

Liu Bowen laughed and said: "Ms. Zhang has always had lofty aspirations... I think it should be to live a good life. Everyone wants to live a life of affluence and food. The so-called government forces the people to rebel, and they have to rebel. Only when ordinary people can't live can they be popular. There are millions of people. This is the case for the Han people, the Miao people, and the whole world!"

Liu Bowen's voice is high-pitched, and he can speak freely. Obviously, he has been giving lectures a lot, and he has been familiar with it for a long time.

Zhang Ximeng nodded and said: "Mr. Bowen's words are very true...but I still want to ask, why do you guys think that we can let you live a good life?"

Liu Bowen was slightly stunned, and immediately said: "We will do what we say, and we will keep our word!"

Zhang Ximeng nodded again, "That's true...but I think there is another layer. If I want to promise that everyone can enjoy the benefits, that they don't have to work, that they can be well-clothed and well-fed for generations...I believe in big guys. Most of them would sneer at it. How should I put it, the cake is too big and the appetite is too small to eat!"

Zhang Ximeng drew a big cake with his hands, and patted his stomach again, which immediately elicited a burst of laughter.

"So we advocate the equalization of the land. The big guys still need to work and sweat. It doesn't mean that they will be carefree from then on. Why can't we give more? Because the population is here, the fields are here, if Give too much to some and too little to the majority. It's not fair!"

"The word "fairness" is very interesting. Behind these two words, there is a deeper layer, which is to treat everyone as the same... Fair distribution, no abandonment of anyone, and equal treatment, not just because they are Miao people , was despised... It is precisely because of the pursuit of fairness that the big guy has been supported all the way to the present, what do you think I said?"

Chapter 438 It's Not Hard To Be A Monk

What Zhang Ximeng said among the Miao soldiers was transcribed, and it was distributed everywhere overnight. The newspaper did not dare to neglect, and even sent someone to write down Zhang Xiang's teachings at any time, and then made it into an article, which was published in the newspaper the next day. .

As long as Zhang Xiang was named, the sales of newspapers would directly increase dramatically.

No one expected that after Lao Zhu annexed Huguang, the first batch of beneficiaries turned out to be the group of Guozijian.

In fact, as mentioned earlier, the Ming court began to fiddle with newspapers to promote the government, but unfortunately, Li Shanchang did not immediately raise the newspapers to a high enough level.

It was just handed over to a few Confucian scholars in the Imperial College.

Old Confucianism running a newspaper is like a eunuch on a flower boat, so it’s useless!

They always want to teach on a high platform, and wish to treat everyone as a living, and they need to be taught by their ears, so that they can be taught.

It would be strange to be able to run a good newspaper based on this mentality.

Therefore, in addition to the news of the battlefield, the first newspapers were boring government affairs, and then more boring moral articles, and even very few poems.

It would be strange if common people love to watch it.

Facing the half-dead newspaper, Zhongshu Sheng was helpless.

On the contrary, there are a few young people who came to Wuchang with the army, and originally they just wrote some good news articles and sent them back for business.As a result, after seeing the war, he was so excited that he simply asked for an order to set up a branch in Wuchang and publish newspapers.

In the first few days, only one hundred and eighty copies could be sold, and the common people didn't quite understand what a newspaper was, so there was little interest, but after Zhang Ximeng's article was published, the number soared to more than [-] copies, a tenfold increase!

Some people even simply bought a lot of copies and took the Clippers directly, day and night, rushing to return to the sky.A newspaper can be sold for five guanbao banknotes, and the profit is a hundredfold!

Facing the high-priced newspapers, Li Shanchang was so angry that his teeth were itchy.

It’s all about writing articles and propagating government orders. Why are our old Li’s articles sold at a discount and no one wants them?

It's not that our old Li is stingy, it's because this matter is so speechless!

Li Shanchang had no choice but to order that newspapers were not allowed to be bought and sold at will. If he was found out, in addition to confiscating the proceeds, he would have to wear a shackle to show the public.

Lao Li is full of murderous intent, but driven by profit, he is still repeatedly banned.

Helpless, Li Shanchang had no choice but to let the trash of the Guozijian publish Zhang Ximeng's article.

Not surprisingly, Zhang Ximeng's new article aroused lively discussions.

Facing Miao Bing, Zhang Ximeng made a very important point, that is, to achieve great things, it must be in accordance with the law of heaven.

Previously, Zhang Ximeng criticized the relationship between heaven and man, and denied the destiny, but this time, Zhang Ximeng took aim at winners and losers.

He started from Miao Bing, that a person can probably use all means and resources to achieve prosperity and wealth.

But if you want tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, to work together for a big event, it's not just a matter of glory and wealth, a feudal lord and a prime minister... because a fool also knows that once the success is complete, the bones will be ruined.

Only a very small number of people can have the last laugh. Since they are destined to become consumables, why risk their lives?

Therefore, the superiors have always tried their best to seize a few cronies, and rely on them to exert their strength to fight for the hegemony and compete for the world.Ordinary soldiers are just a bunch of numbers.

This is the truth about Chen Youliang and others. All he could catch were his cronies and generals. Later, when all his cronies were lost, only his family and brothers were left. In the end, even his brothers abandoned him, and Chen Youliang became a lonely family.

It can be seen from this that for the sake of the prosperity of the family, for the sake of promotion and wealth, and for the sake of conferring a wife and son, this kind of goal cannot be recognized by most people.

To achieve greatness, one must unite as one.

If you want to be united as one, you must act in accordance with the law of heaven!

When he got here, Zhang Ximeng took the word "Tianli" very bluntly!What is the law of heaven?Naturally, the laws of heaven cannot be the laws of one person. The laws of heaven must be for the sake of the public, for the sake of all the people, and must have good intentions...for example, to equalize the land!

Only by starting from the interests of the majority can we get the support of the majority.

Indomitable, invincible!

The principles of heaven are fair, and everyone is treated equally.

Therefore, when treating people, they do not distinguish between origins and care about their origins... The key is to agree with the principles of heaven, uphold a public heart, and be willing to do things for all people.

As long as these things can be achieved, no matter they are Han, Miao, or Mongols, they can be used. Using such people will benefit the common people, benefit the court, and make the country rich and strong.

On the contrary, even if it is one of your own people, if the intention is not right, there will be endless disasters, and even more serious losses.

So in the next step, it is necessary to break the views of sects, eliminate the difference between the front and the back, put an end to the grouping of fellow villagers, and not allow the exclusion of outsiders... All recruits are based on merit, and they are open and honest.

Obviously, Zhang Ximeng's explanation is tantamount to setting the tone and establishing principles for the next large-scale army reorganization.You don't need to work hard.