Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Just after returning from the cannon foundry of the Ministry of Industry, Jiang Xinghuo was preparing to continue the inspection without stopping, but he was stopped by Zhu Yong who was squatting at the door of the President's Reform Affairs Office.

"Principal Jiang."

"When you are on errands, you must address your duties."

Looking at the young man in front of him, Jiang Xinghuo said seriously.

"National Division."

"Um."

Jiang Xinghuo reached out and touched the sleeves of his thin clothes, pulled him in, and asked, "Isn't it cold?"

"We are martial arts practitioners. Ah Sneeze!"

Seeing this, Jiang Xinghuo took him into the house, picked up his coat hanging in the closet and put it on for him. Then he went to get him a thick blanket, stuffed it into him and said, "Put it on first, you are wearing something like this." Sir, what should I do if I get frostbite?"

After taking the coat and blanket, Zhu Yong was a little flattered and instinctively wanted to push it away.

"do not move!"

Seeing Zhu Yong who wanted to return the cotton-padded jacket to him, Jiang Xinghuo's face suddenly became serious and his tone became stronger.

Zhu Yong didn't dare to move anymore. He put it on honestly and folded his original coat and put it away.

Seeing his obedient appearance, Jiang Xinghuo curved his lips, poured a cup of tea in front of him, and then sat down without saying a word.

A few light snows were falling outside the window, and the whole courtyard was very quiet. The only sounds were the breathing of two people and the distant footsteps of the clerk walking outside.

The more things he experienced, the more Jiang Xinghuo felt that it was really difficult to maintain a young man's spirit. He actually didn't know what was going on, but as time passed by day after day, he always felt that he It's not the same as before.

This kind of difference is not something he can feel intuitively all the time. Instead, he suddenly realizes it when he sees Zhu Yong, a young man waiting for him in the snow. It turns out that a long, long time ago, I was also stupid. I wore very little clothing and didn't feel cold at all standing in the snow, but now I just want to sit in the house with a wolfberry teacup and watch the snow.

In fact, when this thought flashed across his mind, Jiang Xinghuo finally felt like "I am really old." It was not an increase in age, but in mentality.

——The sun sets and the journey is far away, and the twilight spirit has already sunk.

However, this thought only lasted for a moment. Even if Jiang Xing Huoxuan cheered up, there was still a lot to do, and there was still a great cause that had not yet been completed, so he should always work hard.

"Has your father recovered?"

Cheng Guogong Zhu Neng has been ill for more than half a year. Every time Jiang Xinghuo visited him as the "attending physician", he felt that he was fine on the surface and was still strong, but he was a little weak on the inside.

Zhu Yong's eyes were a little dodgey, but he still said: "The imperial doctor cannot heal the disease in a short time. It will take a long time for the internal organs to return to their original state."

"oh."

Speaking of imperial doctors, Jiang Xinghuo just remembered that among the various tasks he was concerned about, there was also the reform of medical and nursing care.

These tasks related to people's livelihood and well-being are not as immediate as the industrial sector, and they do not involve as many fundamental interests as administrative reforms, but they are still things that must be done persistently.

Average life expectancy and literacy rate are actually the basis of everything, and these are the things that reflect the results to the people.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of rulers in the feudal era did not care about these things that required a lot of resources and time but had little effect. In other words, for some rulers, these trends for the better were not of concern to them. So wonderful.

Seeing the stupid boy with a wilting look on his face, Jiang Xinghuo suddenly remembered that when he first met him on Yanziji, Zhu Yong was still quite arrogant. People really do change when times change. ah.

"Why are you waiting for me at the Yamen Gate today?"

Seeing that the other party was silent and was still his student after all, Jiang Xinghuo asked.

Zhu Yong took a sip of hot tea and shook his head: "Let's try our luck."

"I've been going out a lot lately, you're very lucky."

Jiang Xinghuo was telling the truth.

It's the end of the year. Logically speaking, he should be very busy, but the actual situation is that the interests involved in the two matters of passing the legal examination and the Beijing inspection are too great. People who want to visit him can queue up from Zhongshan to the Yamen Jiang Xinghuo simply went out frequently and randomly to inspect the progress of any aspect of work he was concerned about.

Jiang Xinghuo himself didn't know where he was going tomorrow, so naturally he wouldn't be harassed.

At the President's Reform Affairs Office, the unlucky guy Jie Jin was still recovering from his injuries. His injuries would not heal for half a year, so the burden fell entirely on the old monk's bald head.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xinghuo looked at the bag containing ginger slices on the table and wondered whether he should send some to the old monk.

These ginger slices are of course used to ward off the cold, but should the old monk be able to grow hair?

Strange to say, it may be because the old monk has not grown his hair for decades. Even if the old monk returns to secular life, his hair will not grow anymore. Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo does not understand why a person's beard, eyebrows and hair do not grow together. What about?

Jiang Xinghuo was thinking wildly, but he never asked Zhu Yong why he came to him. Zhu Yong was young and could not hold his breath, so he took the initiative and said: "Please take the national master under your wing and give him an errand. The student will be able to work hard, so he will not complain."

"I can't take you in."

Jiang Xinghuo refused simply and picked up the tea cup again.

This was not about serving tea as a farewell to guests, but when I was returning to the city from the iron smelting yard affiliated to the Ministry of Industry, I felt a little uncomfortable in the cold wind for a long time along the way.

"I just took in a little beggar a while ago, and I asked Duke Rong Guo to find a job for him. I'll leave you alone. I don't have that much time to take care of the child."

"I'm not a child." Zhu Yong said with some stress.

Jiang Xinghuo looked at him and just smiled.

People are like this. When you are eighteen, you think those who are twelve or thirteen are children. When you are twenty-eight, you think those who are in your early twenties are also children. Not to mention it later, it is essentially a certain kind of self-esteem. Self-comfort and contempt for others. This contempt may be unconscious, but it does exist. Of course, younger children are not happy to be treated as children, but older ones, in this kind of social relationship, It is often the party with more resources and dominant position, so in most cases, children are naturally helpless.

At this time, Jiang Xinghuo remembered again the little beggar he had taken in. He was said to have become a monk in Tianjie Temple, and because of his cleverness, he was recently sent to the Japanese prince who came to become a monk in the Ming Dynasty to go to Jiangnan with him. During the tour of the handicraft workshop, I was accompanied by Ryukyu princes, international students from Luzon and others, all foreign friends selected from the Imperial College.

Zhu Yong immediately became depressed and said, "I want to go to the battlefield, but my father won't allow me."

At this time, Jiang Xinghuo put down his tea cup and asked in surprise: "Where is the war going on now? Annan has finished fighting. Why, are you going to be transferred to the north?"

"I want to go overseas. I heard that the king of Runan County has just made a great contribution, almost destroying the country. He established a new Xuanfu Envoy for the Ming Dynasty in Luzon."

Zhu Yong paused and then said: "I heard that when the fleet is being repaired in the port, domestic communication ships will be sent to look for the fleet. I want to follow him next time."

This was how Jiang Xinghuo notified Zheng He of Zhu Gaosui's request before. It seems that Zhu Yong's information is quite well-informed.

It's no wonder, after all, Zhu Yong is a child of a top-notch noble family, and he has been in the military academy for so long, so he must be very well-informed.

"So your father doesn't allow you to go?"

"yes."

Zhu Yong was very frustrated because when he set out to conquer Annan, he had been given the task of leading the cavalry to conduct reconnaissance in the north of the Fuliang River. This was an easy job to do well. Unfortunately, because Zhu Neng was seriously ill, he had to give up.

The original three brothers, Zhu Yong, Xu Jingchang, and Zhang Anshi, now Xu Jingchang has succeeded Duke Ding and is responsible for the import and export trade in Jiangnan. He holds the money of the royal family, clan, and nobles in one hand, and makes money in Japan, Annan, Korea, and Occupy in the other. There are countless businessmen, officials, and gentry who ask him to do things for him, and they are extremely prosperous. However, Zhang Anshi dropped out of the military school, and it seems that he has given up his intention to join the army. This is not difficult to understand. His sister and his brother-in-law There are no military resources, and even to a certain extent, his status in the army has a negative effect. On the contrary, Zhu Gaochi possesses terrifying energy in the temple, and this energy even continues with him. As time goes by, it expands more and more uncontrollably.

Only Zhu Yong, one year later, seems to be still standing still, which makes him feel even more disappointed.

"I wouldn't allow it even if I were your father."

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and said, "Those who go overseas are the children who are not favored by their families. If they want to make a career for themselves, your father must have his own arrangements for you."

"Isn't the Imperial Master also unwilling to offend my father?"

Jiang Xinghuo explained seriously: "It's very dangerous overseas. In addition to battles, there are also storms that may engulf ships at any time, an unacclimated environment, and weird illnesses that may have no antidote. You are still too young."

Zhu Yong keenly caught the loophole in Jiang Xinghuo's words: "So the Imperial Master wants to help me, but it's just too dangerous overseas that he won't let me go."

"yes."

Jiang Xinghuo had no intention of being taken advantage of by him: "I support you in having some ideas of your own, but you can't completely make decisions for yourself right now, so it's always good to be more thoughtful in everything."

The entire Ming army is a very complex system. On the surface, of course, it looks like a whole. However, the Yan army has the Yanshan clique, the Yuzhou clique, the Daning clique, and the Hebei clique. There are also many factions in the Southern army, and the term "Southern army" is even used. Words used to describe other Ming armies except the Yan Army are extremely inaccurate. For example, those Songpan Jingqi and the troops of the Sai Kings are difficult to get close to the "South", and all major places have gone through three The development of more than ten years has become even more complicated internally and cannot be clearly understood at all.

For example, Li Jinglong, who is currently the Supreme Emperor of Annan Kingdom, still has tens of thousands of troops stationed in Annan Kingdom, which can be clearly divided into at least five factions.

"Then, Imperial Master, help me find a job."

Looking at the students who were asking for jobs, Jiang Xinghuo asked, "What do you study in military schools now?"

Zhu Yong probably realized that this was a critical moment, and replied obediently: "Sun Tzu's Art of War," "Wu Zi's Art of War," "Six Taoist Strategies," "Sima's Law," "Three Strategies," "Wei Liaozi," and "Li Weigong's Questions." "

"How long until graduation? Have the graduation standards changed now?" Jiang Xinghuo asked as he hadn't paid attention to the Ming Military Academy for a while.

"There is still half a year left, and the standards have been changed from before. The martial arts test requires three out of ten hits with a fire gun in twenty steps (because it is inherently inaccurate), one stone in a lunge, three hits in one arrow shot, seven hits in a horse shot, and other There are five types of martial arts on horseback and three types of martial arts on horseback. The literary examination requires that the "Seven Classics" (i.e., "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and other seven textbooks) have ten clear meanings, five current affairs and frontier defense strategies, and good arts and science, and ten laws and regulations have seven straight meanings; In practice, team confrontation must be 'excellent', and at least one of logistics and engineering must be 'qualified' or above."

Generally speaking, although the old commander Qiu Fu's mind is still relatively rigid and there are too many traditional things in the military academy, what Jiang Xinghuo proposed has been basically adopted.

According to Jiang Xinghuo's six dimensions of war policy, commander-in-chief strategy, generals' tactics, soldiers' tactics, logistics, and engineering, although the specific implementation is not so precise, there is always a change for the future, which is a good thing.

In fact, the history of Jiang Xinghuo's previous life has proven that the Ming Dynasty was quite advanced with the times in many cases. At least there was no psychological barrier at all when learning skills from the barbarians.

——As long as it’s easy to use, why do you care so much?

Jiang Xinghuo nodded after understanding. He was not so shameless as to give Zhu Yong the sentence "once a teacher, always a father" at the beginning. Instead, he gave Zhu Yong two options that he thought were feasible out of consideration for his future. After all, it is a bit inhumane to send teenage children to become sailors.

"The first is that the troops who participated in the Annan expedition have returned home one after another. In addition to the tens of thousands of people who temporarily stayed in Annan and the twenty or thirty thousand people who stayed permanently in Jiaozhi Xingdusi, the remaining troops will be selected and selected to enter the Beijing camp. , those who are not selected will go back to their respective headquarters or guard stations to screen dozens of guard stations in the north and south of the Yangtze River. This is the military reform plan for the three major battalions that has been discussed and implemented. If you want to go, you can Looking for a job in the three major camps, some of them are newly formed troops."

Zhu Yong was silent for a while and shook his head.

If this is the way, then if you wait half a year, your father will arrange for him to go there, just to get out of the military academy half a year early, which is not necessary.

Seeing Zhu Yong shaking his head, Jiang Xinghuo thought for a while and then said: "Most of the soldiers with experience in handling firearms have been transferred away. The current tax soldiers are different from the previous ones. They are purely trained. The local tax collectors have now spent another year and trained several batches of disabled old soldiers. They are said to be guards. There are already more than 20,000 in number. They can basically count and read. Yes, do you want to go?"

Zhu Yong was startled and asked, "Are you going to collect taxes from the local government?"

"right."

The implementation of tax collection is the most direct measure for the imperial power to go to the countryside. This matter has been a plan for two years, and now it is about to become a reality.

The reason is naturally that after several sweeps, the power of the gentry in the Jiangnan area was partially weakened, and the imperial power was able to intervene in the area.

Without the previous series of measures such as cleaning up, suppressing bandits, and controlling floods, just sending people down would not be able to achieve this effect. Instead, it would be extremely constrained.

In fact, the establishment of the secondary tax system will be one of the key tasks of the court next year, the second year of Yongle.

The reason why it was not implemented this year is because the number of tax collectors trained is not enough.

Now that there are enough tax collectors who can read and numerate, it is only natural that these full-time tax collectors be sent to local governments to supervise tax collection, and at the same time establish local taxes to relieve central financial pressure.

After all, paying the household registration progressive tax without dividing the household, and paying the household notary tax separately can weaken the gentry. Moreover, although this "local tax" is different from the modern concept, at some levels, it plays the role of Similarly, these two newly established taxes are essentially a type of poll tax.

With the local government having its own legal financial resources, it also has its own interests. It is not surprising that there will be some disagreements with the gentry.

As for the subsequent unified payment of grain by the gentry, it is actually much less difficult to implement than the sharing of labor among the acres.

The reason why I say this is that on the one hand, the power of the gentry has weakened, and on the other hand, the stakes involved are not that great. Jiang Xinghuo is also afraid that the policy will take too big a step and cause damage, so the first blow is It started with the preferential treatment of food receipts received by juren, scholars and their dependent population.

All in all, the last step of this kind of administrative reform that touches the local area will definitely be completed next year before the Yan army completes the military reform, officially transforms into the three major battalions of the Beijing camp and then goes north. The tax pawns will be around the beginning of next year. We will go down to the counties, towns, and even villages in the Jiangnan prefectures.

But the tax clerk is obviously not a promising job. After all, those who work in this job are basically disabled soldiers who have transferred to another job.

But Zhu Yong's choice was a bit unexpected. As the son of a prince destined to have a bright future and a military academy graduate who was about to graduate, he wanted to become a tax pawn.

"you sure?"

"I am sure."

Zhu Yong nodded calmly: "Although my father and I sometimes can't deal with each other, my father once told me that in the Ming Dynasty, whether officials or common people, if they want to preserve the family, they should always strive to be more competitive from generation to generation. A generation of strong people has enough power to protect them, otherwise, if they don’t make progress, even the slightest mistake will be enough to plunge the entire huge family into a situation of eternal disaster.”

Jiang Xinghuo nodded slightly and said, "I will take time to talk to your father."

Zhu Yong bowed and said: "Thank you so much, Master. In fact, I just need a chance. If I don't have the chance to be independent, I may live in the shadow of my father all my life. So as long as I have the chance, no matter how difficult it is, I will do it." Will try."

"Now that I say that, I won't be nagging anymore and will try my best to help you. However, if you are really willing to persist, then please remember that what you said today is not child's play. If I find you If you can't bear the hardship, or if you do something you shouldn't do, then don't blame the ugly words in front of you."

Jiang Xinghuo's meaning is also very obvious. It will definitely not be smooth sailing for the tax collectors to go to the countryside. There are many dangers and challenges faced here. Zhu Yong is now saying loudly that if he retreats down below, he will not allow it.

"I will never break my promise!"

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and said, "Go home early."

Zhu Yong said goodbye and left, while Jiang Xinghuo looked at his leaving figure in silence for a long time, then shook his head.

In history, all ambitious and ambitious nobles have almost one characteristic in common - they are not only ambitious, but also bold.

Daring people often do risky things that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Most of the time, this kind of risk-taking can be equated to recklessness, but for others, this courage will help them build achievements that surpass their parents' generation.

In fact, it’s very simple to think about it. Your parents are so good. If you don’t risk your life and find new ways, why should you surpass them?

But Zhu Yong's boldness seems completely different from others, and can even be said to be unusual.

Because before Zhu Yong expressed his determination to become a taxman, that is, when he wanted to go overseas, Zhu Yong had been severely repaired many times by his father, and he was even beaten so severely once that he almost gave him away. Life.

Jiang Xinghuo's help to him was certainly not sympathy.

There is no love or hatred for no reason in this world, nor is there any unconditional support.

In this world, only if you have enough power can you control the destiny of others.

Jiang Xinghuo knew very well what the emperor was most afraid of. Zhu Di Shang had to restrict and balance his sons, so naturally he also had red lines.

This red line is military power.

Therefore, at the suggestion of the old monk and others, he resigned from the position of vice principal of the Ming Dynasty Royal Military Academy, and had no contact with officers below the duke.

As for those dukes, they can no longer be treated as just soldiers, but more importantly, they are important figures in the temple.

Of course, since Jiang Xinghuo cannot have direct contact with the army, indirect contact through exerting influence on the generals has never been interrupted, whether it is Li Jinglong, Zhu Neng, or his eldest disciple.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xinghuo dug out a stack of letters from the desk drawer.

This was all sent to him by his eldest disciple Zhu Gaoxu. Zhu Gaoxu had obviously changed a lot, and even tended to be a bit chatty. Although he hadn’t seen him for half a year, Zhu Gaoxu would send him from Beijing every ten days and a half. He sent letters.

The contents of the letters were mostly trivial gossip, including what happened to him in Beijing, such as being teased by a bastard and then trying to restrain his desire to beat someone but ended up beating him anyway, and such as when he was going to support someone who was being harassed. The attached tribes, or how many people he brought out of the fortress to kill the Mongols on one day, etc. After killing people, Zhu Gaoxu would also report on his study status. He couldn't read the books written by Zhu Gaoxu, but he could not read the practical books. The books and some history books are quite serious in studying, especially some history books. Zhu Gaoxu looked at the maps with relish and looked at the battle examples of famous ancient generals, and seemed to be able to draw some knowledge or experience from them.

Anyway, the contents of these letters are like reports written by Zhu Gaoxu to him. Each letter lists in detail some of the things he encountered and some of the results.

In fact, Zhu Gaoxu handled many things inappropriately. For example, he once went out to kill the Tatars. Well, at this time, the Tatars still occupied the Monan grassland outside the mouth, the Oara people were in the Hetao farther west, and the Uuliangha people were In the east direction of Liaodong, Zhu Gaoxu felt that it was not right to drive out all the people and kill them all. In fact, he should move the people within the tribe.

However, these things were not important. On the contrary, it was Zhu Gaoxu's attitude that made Jiang Xinghuo feel at ease and even happy.

It is difficult to change a person, especially a stubborn, violent, and strong person.

Those who are self-possessed rarely listen to what others say.

This is also the reason why many buddies who practice Kuaishou find it difficult to control their temper until the end of the training, and they immediately want to use force to solve problems.

In this way, Jiang Xinghuo also felt that he had always gained Zhu Gaoxu's reliance and trust. After all, Zhu Gaoxu rarely communicated with others so honestly. For his powerful father, Zhu Gaoxu didn't want him to see him weak or hesitant. On the other hand, for his mother, Zhu Gaoxu simply did not want her to feel that he was not living a good life.

Jiang Xinghuo would also reply to him. The contents of the letters were mostly chatter, mostly nonsense, such as how are you in the north recently, what are your eating habits, are you wearing warm clothes, etc., and occasionally were directed at Zhu Gaoxu. Take reading notes and write an article.

These letters are all delivered normally through the post station. After all, no one will use the six hundred miles to rush to deliver the letter. Therefore, Jiang Xinghuo rarely mentions things in the court. Well, it is conceivable that these letters will be sent to Jin Yiwei. Look through it.

As for the imperial court's major policies and various personnel changes, the relationship between Nanjing and Beijing is still very close. The exchange of personnel and information has always been maintained at a relatively frequent frequency. "Di Bao" has also written it clearly, so Jiang Xinghuo is not needed. Go and tell something specifically.

However, Zhu Gaoxu didn't write a letter recently. He didn't know if he went out to fight again, which made him feel a little worried.

Jiang Xinghuo thought about it carefully and suddenly smiled again. He was Xiang Yu, and Lu Bu might not be any better than him when he was resurrected. There was nothing to worry about.

However, in Jiang Xinghuo's heart, Zhu Gaojiu was still the disciple he wanted to care about, and Zhu Gaojiu did not send him any letters these days, so he had no idea what he was doing and could only rely on guessing.

"Care is chaos."

Jiang Xinghuo patted his forehead lightly, feeling a little dumbfounded.

However, he quickly adjusted his emotions, put the matter aside, and walked out.

Jiang Xinghuo walked down the steps and ordered Wang Bin at the door: "Get the car ready."

Riding a horse on this day was purely to make himself suffer. Jiang Xinghuo chose to ride a car without hesitation when he went out. As for riding a sedan, Jiang Xinghuo had never considered it, because he always felt that he was riding on a human body, which made him feel uncomfortable. answer.

Wang Bin looked at the snowflakes that were getting bigger and bigger and asked, "Where is the Imperial Master going at this time?"

"I have something to talk to Kong Xilu about."

Master Kong, who was famous all over the world, had just been released from prison some time ago. He did not return to his hometown. Instead, he was still staying with Gao Xunzhi, Cao Duan and others in Nanjing. No one knew what he was studying. , anyway, they have been thanking guests behind closed doors, but the mainstream guess accepted by Shilin is that Kong Xilu was threatened by the Jin Yiwei in prison, so he did not dare to speak at this time.

"Oh, then I will send a few brothers to accompany you there."

In winter, these attendants also work in shifts. After Wang Bin agreed, he immediately greeted several burly attendants from the room where the fire was warming up, and left the Yamen surrounded by Jiang Xinghuo.

Jiang Xinghuo raised his head before getting on the carriage, looking at the white snow floating in the gray sky, thinking to himself: This snow should stop soon.