Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

“You have a good idea.

But don’t think about it for now.”

Zhang Shikang said after taking a sip of wine.

You guys, your thoughts are dangerous!

But I like it.

"Our Ming Dynasty is currently in a period of rapid development, and our national strength is not yet sufficient to support large-scale foreign wars.

You must be patient and maintain the combat effectiveness of the Guards.

Also, you must remember that, apart from recovering lost territory, external expansion cannot come at the expense of the people's quality of life. We will not engage in excessive military expansion."

Zhang Shikang said very seriously.

Foreign wars throughout the dynasties, as long as they lasted for more than a year, would almost inevitably significantly reduce the quality of life of the people at home, such as increased taxes, corvee labor, and conscription of civilians.

There is nothing we can do about it because the production level is really too low.

Not to mention before, even before the Ming Dynasty's reform, Zhang Shikang couldn't do it. Take the example of the Imperial Guards' expedition against the Jiannu.

Although it was only three months, the food and fodder that the Ming Dynasty had accumulated for more than half a year had been exhausted. In order to raise military pay, the Ministry of Revenue even began to forcibly purchase food from the people.

Of course, this trend was nipped in the bud by Zhang Shikang. He did not want the hard-earned sense of identification of the people with the court to be eroded by a war.

It was also for this reason that Zhang Shikang decisively chose to withdraw his troops from the Liaohe River.

The Ming Dynasty's foundation was not strong enough to withstand a protracted war.

But Zhang Shikang knew that as new high-yield crops became more and more popular, the Ming Dynasty would be able to accumulate enough wealth in two or three years at most.

This is the foundation of a great country.

Sun Dasheng casually added:

"Does that mean that as long as the imperial court accumulates enough food and military supplies, Big Brother will attack Japan and Annan?"

Xu Wenyuan and the others' eyes lit up when they heard this. Zhang Shikang said unhappily:

"Can it be called a fight if it's what scholars do?"

Liu Jiawei immediately understood what Zhang Shikang meant and said with a smile:

"Brother, what you said makes sense. It is clearly the Ming Dynasty that has the heart to educate those backward barbarians."

"Oh, yes, yes, they should thank us!" Sun Dasheng also reacted and agreed without hesitation.

Zhang Shikang nodded with satisfaction.

He wasn't really angry about what happened in the morning court today. Although his father was even lazier than him, he still took his father's words to heart.

On the way to the restaurant, Zhang Shikang also tried to think from the other person's perspective.

Dad was right. For the generals of the Guards and even the Tiger Guards, it was me who gave them hope.

Just as Chongzhen was worried, the generals were also full of worries and lack of confidence in the court without the Grand Marshal.

Only those who have crawled in the darkness can truly understand the meaning of light.

In the hearts of these people, I am afraid that I have become a guiding light.

After figuring this out, Zhang Shikang's resentment naturally disappeared, and he even felt a little guilty.

However, he never intended to really give up. On this point, people like Chongzhen were really a little frightened.

He has been a firefighter for nearly four years. Can't he just relax?

After the misunderstanding was resolved, the group immediately started toasting each other, just like they did many years ago when they were still playboys.

The marriages of Wang Jingduo, Zheng Chong and others were arranged by their parents at the end of August, so the time was very tight.

The Marquis of Xincheng even discussed with several other nobles and relatives to stagger their wedding dates by one day so that they would not affect each other.

It’s no wonder that Xincheng Hou and others are anxious. Zhang Shikang married nine beautiful wives in one go and had four daughters. Wang Jingduo, Xu Wenyuan and others are still single.

Xu Wenyuan and Chen Tao's marriage was finalized the year before last, but due to the frequent wars in the past two years, they had to suppress rebellions and go out to fight against the Jianlu, and each absence would take at least several months and at most half a year or even longer.

This even left Duke Dingguo with a psychological trauma. As soon as Xu Wenyuan returned from the expedition, Xu Yunzhen contacted Wang Guoxing and other parents of the relevant families and quickly arranged marriages for their sons to avoid any more unexpected marriage failures.

In other words, by the end of August, Zhang Shikang could have banquets for four consecutive days.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Shikang missed his wives at home and made an excuse to leave.

When he reached the door, he seemed to have remembered something important, slapped his head and said to Sun Dasheng:

"Dasheng, when you go back, don't forget to tell your father that his vacation is over early and he must rush back to Xishan Camp tomorrow."

Everyone was puzzled, and Zhang Shikang continued:

"The monument has been completed. I have discussed with Your Majesty that a public memorial service will be held on the tenth day of August, and Your Majesty will also participate.

Have your father select 6,000 men from the Guards. I want to have a military parade on the day of the memorial."

In fact, there have been military parades in all dynasties, but most of them were just for the emperor to show his majesty.

Only during the reign of Emperor Yongle, when all nations came to pay tribute, did it have a certain deterrent effect on neighboring countries.

Of course, this is mainly because the information transmission is too backward. Unlike later generations, a military parade can be broadcast live around the world, and the main deterrence to surrounding countries is immediate.

Even so, Zhang Shikang still believes that the military parade is a very meaningful thing.

Not to mention the distant past, Zhang Shikang has been working hard in the past two years to improve the Ming people's views on the army, and Yongping Prefecture also allowed the Guards to participate in disaster relief.

Before this, the people of the Ming Dynasty could not say that they hated the Ming army to the core, but rather that they feared it like a tiger.

Because at that time, both the border troops and the garrison soldiers would really bully the common people. Robbing the common people's property was a trivial matter, and killing innocent people to claim credit was not a new thing.

Bandits pass by like combs, and soldiers pass by like rakes. This is not just talk.

Of course, the imperial court at that time was extremely poor, and Zhang Shikang did not interfere in the past.

But after he came to power, especially after he resolved the threat from the gentry and filled the court treasury, his first requirement for the army was that they must not bully the people.

The rift between the people and the army did not arise in one day, so it will not be possible to repair this relationship in a short period of time.

Until now, the people of the capital still keep their distance from the army, even though the Guards have been enforcing strict military discipline for more than two years.

But things still have to be done. The military spirit that Zhang Shikang wants to forge is absolutely inseparable from the people of the world.

Talking about patriotism without considering the people is no different from being a hooligan. Even in the era when imperial power was supreme, Zhang Shikang still believed so.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The trinity of imperial power, the army, and the people complement each other, and there is no problem with its internal logic.

Apart from the emperor's stupidity, the biggest reason why the people complained about the court and feared the army was the obstruction of the bureaucracy.

Zhang Shikang was merciless to these people. In terms of supervision, he had the Inspectorate and the Censors, and outside of that, he had the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Last year alone, more than 600 officials were skinned, and this was just after Zhang Shikang had carried out a crackdown on the officialdom.

This shows how difficult it is to curb corruption.

But no matter what, the situation is moving in a better direction, and the military parade is still a good way to repair military-civilian relations.

After returning from this expedition, Zhang Shikang gave mid-level generals such as Sun Dasheng and Xu Wenyuan ten days off each. Of course, they needed to take turns to rest.

For someone of Sun Weifan's rank, the holiday was only three days, and he took turns with Huang Degong.

In other words, Sun Weifan only had one day off before he had to go back to the military camp to continue his work.

However, Sun Dasheng didn't care at all whether his father had a vacation or not. Anyway, he was not the one who was deprived of the vacation. He had already discussed with his brothers where to go next.

"Don't worry, big brother. I'll tell my dad when I get back."

Xu Wenyuan asked:

"Brother, do you guys want to participate in this military parade?"

Zhang Shikang smiled amusingly when he heard this.

"This military parade is of extraordinary significance and is destined to go down in history. As for whether you want to participate, that's up to you to decide."

After saying that, Zhang Shikang left the Youguqi Restaurant without looking back.

Sun Dasheng and others looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other's eyes.

Zheng Chong scratched his head and said:

"So... Second Brother Xu, are we going to the military parade, or... we've already agreed on it: Kuihua Tower tomorrow, and the Jiaofangsi the day after tomorrow..."

"Nonsense, didn't Big Brother just say it? It's going to go down in history! I'm definitely going to participate, whether you want to go or not."

After saying that, Xu Wenyuan left the restaurant very decisively. The actual number of soldiers in the Guards has reached 160,000. It is hard to say whether he can be selected from the 6,000 people.

"Brother Xu, wait for me!" Wang Jingduo ran away immediately.

Sun Dasheng scratched his head, looking frustrated.

"Big brother just said he didn't bear a grudge, but are you sure he's not seeking revenge? It's my vacation time!"

……