Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

As night falls, the entire capital lights up.

Chengguo Duke's Mansion is located in the core area in the west of the city. This mansion built when the capital was established reflects the heritage and extraordinaryness of this Duke's home.

Although Cheng Guogong Zhu Yi has arrived in Nanjing to serve as the garrison of Nanjing, Cheng Guogong's family has lived in the capital for generations. There are both in-laws and old tribes here, so tonight is particularly lively.

In terms of Wu Xun in the capital alone, there were as many as ten people here tonight.

The number of titles conferred by nobles in the Ming Dynasty seems to be quite large, but not many titles have been extended to this day. In particular, due to reasons such as annihilation and crime, many titles have not been continued.

After Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, moved the capital to Beijing, there were four meritorious (non-honored relatives) in the Hongxi Dynasty, five in the Xuande Dynasty, nine in the Zhengtong Dynasty, six in the Jingtai Dynasty, 15 in the Tianshun Dynasty, and eight in the Chenghua Dynasty, accounting for the largest proportion. The most important one is the fifty-four from the Yongle Dynasty.

For example, in the Battle of Jingnan, Zhu Di gathered a group of generals who were good at conquering and fighting. Among the eight dukes conferred by Zhu Di, they were Duke Cheng of Zhu Neng, Duke Ying of Zhang Fu, Duke of Guizhou of Mu Sheng, Xu Zengshou's Dingguogong has been passed down to this day, while Rongguogong Yao Guangxiao, Rongguogong Zhang Yu and Jingguogong Chen Heng were granted posthumous titles, while Qiguogong Qiu Fu led his army in the Northern Expedition to the Tartars and was deprived of his hereditary title because he underestimated the enemy and rushed in. He was captured and killed.

As for the 13 marquises, the Marquis of Taining Chen Gui, the Marquis of Wu'an Zheng Heng, the Marquis of Bao'an Meng Shan, the Marquis of Yongkang Xuzhong, and the Marquis of Longping Zhang Xin are hereditary to this day. The Marquis of Zhenyuan Gu Cheng guards Guizhou, the Marquis of Tong'an Huozhen followed Qiu Fu in the northern expedition and was defeated and was removed from the title, and the Marquis of Jing'an Wang Zhong followed Qiu Fu went to the north to conquer the fortress and was defeated and was expelled from his title. Wang Cong, the Marquis of Wucheng, followed Qiu Fu to the north and was defeated and was expelled from the title. Li Yuan, the Marquis of Anping, followed Qiu Fu to the north and was defeated and died in the battle. Meng Shan, the Marquis of Baoan, was deprived of his title. Guo Liang, the Marquis of Cheng'an, was demoted to an earl. , Chengyang Hou Zhang Wu was expelled from the title due to the death of heirs, and Si En Hou Fang Kuan was not hereditary.

Although the number of earls who have been canonized is more, there are only 27 hereditary earls till now, most of them stay in Nanjing and other places, and less than half of the earls are in the capital.

Funing Marquis Zhu Yong and several other important marquises came to the flower hall of the Chengguo Palace. In addition, there were many military generals who had actual duties. They were undoubtedly the most powerful group of military generals at the moment.

There are three large tables in this flower hall, but although it is very lively, everyone's face has a trace of solemnity.

Any seemingly minor change is likely to touch the interests of some groups, and Zhu Youtang's path to strengthening the army is infringing on the core interests of the Wuxun Group.

The sixth Taining Marquis is Chen Huan, who ascended the throne in the eighth year of Chenghua and earned a salary of one thousand dan per year. He was originally one of the admirals of the 12th Battalion, but was dismissed by Zhu Youtang last year due to dereliction of duty.

Although Chen Huan did not hold a post, he was very well-informed. He directly revealed to Wu Xun present: "I just got news from the palace that the emperor is going to patrol Camp Aegis tomorrow!"

This news was not sent by the eunuch passing a note, but Zhu Youtang's patrol camp had to plan the route and security in advance, and it would naturally be leaked when he was at the branch's military headquarters.

"As far as I know, this is your Majesty's first time out of the capital, and you really attach great importance to the Aegis Camp!" Funing Marquis Zhu Yong said with sadness when he heard the news.

After Zhu Youtang took office, he changed Emperor Chenghua's approach of attaching great importance to honors and relatives, but directly transferred the military power of the Beijing camp to the inner court, and even removed Taining Marquis, Chen Huan and other military honors from their posts.

If this is the case, the recently built Aegis Camp, which has cost a lot of money, has also excluded the Wuxun Group, and now they have to visit the Aegis Camp in person.

"I used to be a soldier who was directly transferred to the SHIELD camp to serve as a hundred households. It was just nonsense!"

"What's the matter? A well-known thorn in the Fenwu Camp turns out to be the deputy Qianhu of the SHIELD Camp!"

"Haha... I personally punished that Thousand Household in the Aegis Camp last year. How can such a dishonest person be reused?"

…

When Wu Anhou and other Wu Xun heard about the SHIELD Camp, especially the personnel changes in the SHIELD Camp, they all angrily criticized them.

Although the personnel power of the military has long been in the hands of the civilian group, the civilian group will also take their wishes into consideration, but it is not like the SHIELD camp that completely excludes them.

Because of this, although they did not jump out to express their position in the court, they strongly opposed Emperor Hongzhi's establishment of the Aegis Camp in their hearts.

"What's the use of complaining here, let's quickly find a way to make the emperor change his mind!"

"In my opinion, if you want to change the emperor's mind, I'm afraid you have to make a fuss about it from the Aegis Camp!"

"I've been instigating pay raises in each camp, but things are really different now than before. Many people below want to get better!"

…

Funing Hou Zhu Yong and others are quite powerful in the Beijing camp, and now they also hope to make Zhu Youtang "change his mind", so they actively participate in the discussion.

In fact, it is not that they have deep hatred for Camp SHIELD, but that Camp SHIELD makes them feel a crisis, and may even infringe on their core interests.

Thanks to the efforts of their ancestors, they now stand at the top of the pyramid through hereditary methods, and they suppress all middle and lower-level soldiers who want to take the lead through their martial arts bloodline.

It's just that now Zhu Youtang will no longer value their origins in the SHIELD camp, but their military talents. This will undoubtedly break the pyramid model they have been trying to create with blood.

For this reason, it has become the most urgent matter for the Wuxun Group to stop Zhu Youtang's route of strengthening elite troops and to stop Zhu Youtang's masterpiece, the Aegis Battalion.

Even in the face of a bloody emperor, but it was related to the core interests of their Wuxun Group, they decided to make a stumbling block secretly.

After all, this world has their share of contributions, and Zhu Youtang cannot taint their core interests for the so-called line of elite soldiers and strong generals.

"It's not enough to mobilize the 12th Battalion to raise wages. We can't just sit back and wait for death. We have to think of a foolproof strategy!" Chen Huan, the Marquis of Taining, still can't let go of being dismissed from his post, and he seems very radical and authentic.

Although the topic mentioned here is too sensitive, Wuxun Group also has its own way of forming alliances-marriage.

For example, the five daughters of Zhu Yong, Duke of Dingguo, all married into the families of nobles or military generals. The same was true for Zhu Yi's four daughters, and the rest of the descendants followed suit.

Of course, the Dingguo Duke's Mansion is not "only for people to leave but not to enter". For example, Zhu Yong married the daughter of the governor Wang Tong, while Zhu Yi married the daughter of Hu Hu, the former Minister of Rites.

It is not difficult to see from Ding Guogong's marriage route that due to the frequent marriages between Wu Xun and Wu Xun, the entire Wu Xun Group has become a community of interests.

If something happens to one family, it will often involve several families, and everyone here will suffer the consequences, so there is no need to worry too much about the confidentiality here.

Funing Hou Zhu Yong, who had been talking eloquently, noticed that Zhu Fu didn't express much opinions, so he immediately pulled him to express his position: "Your Majesty, the old prince is not in the capital, you have to make an idea for us!"

After hearing this, all the martial artists turned to look at the prince.

There are only three families in the capital: Ying Gong, Cheng Guo Gong and Ding Guo Gong. It's just that Duke Chengguo Xu Yongshou has gone crazy. British Duke Zhang Mao was criticized by the Wuxun Group for being too close to the civil servant group. Now the Wuxun Group in the capital is actually the Duke of Chengguo's palace.

Although Zhu Yi, the Duke of Chengguo, was in Nanjing, his younger brother Zhu Ji was serving in the imperial city, and the eldest son Zhu Fu had already grown up to take charge of his own affairs, and now he had become the leader of Wu Xun.

Zhu Fu was a middle-aged man with a beautiful beard. He saw Wu Xun's reaction and just kept smiling without saying a word, looking very calm.

Like many martial arts disciples, he is not good at riding and shooting now, but after all, he has lived in the capital since he was a child, and his vision and scheming are far beyond those of his peers.

Seeing that he was finally being taken seriously, Zhu Fu said calmly: "I wonder if you have ever thought about it. Why is our martial arts so noble?"

"Of course our ancestors conquered the world with Taizu or Taizong, and we are all queens of meritorious service!" Chen Huan, the Marquis of Taining, immediately replied disapprovingly.

Funing Hou Zhu Yong and others nodded slightly and agreed with this statement.

Facing everyone's gaze, Zhu Fu shook his head gently and said: "This is one of the reasons. The more important thing is that our martial arts is hereditary! Wan'an has been the chief minister for ten years, and everyone says that he is an evergreen tree in the officialdom. , but Marquis Taining has been in office for sixteen years, and many of the people here are older than Wan An! So to take a step back, your Majesty will not reuse us, but we are still hereditary martial arts!"

"That's what I say, but we can't afford to wait, and you, the Crown Prince, can't even wait!" Chen Huan, the Marquis of Taining, glanced at Zhu Fu and seemed to be speaking with genuine meaning.

Hereditary succession was originally their biggest support, but the current emperor was only eighteen, while Zhu Fu was already forty even before he ascended the throne, and Chen Huan was already over fifty.

If they really want to survive their age, they have no advantage at all.

Zhu Fu naturally knew this, and even expressed his opinion: "What I mean is that our military honors are hereditary. The generals of the Aegis Battalion can be promoted, but they can also be demoted. But in the long run, If so, we will raise the salary of the 12th Battalion this time, and our lives will only become more and more comfortable in the future!"

"Yes, that's indeed the truth!" Taining Marquis Chen Huan's eyes lit up and he nodded solemnly.

Although raising wages is a matter for the entire army, the imperial court pays more soldiers, and their group of military heroes in the pyramid can get more benefits from it.

In particular, they are hereditary and irreplaceable martial artists. Even if they cannot take power now, they will definitely return to the capital camp in the future, and then they will be able to squeeze more money from the soldiers.

Not to mention, many soldiers are now in debt to them, and now that the imperial court has given these soldiers a salary increase, it will allow these lower-level soldiers to pay off their earlier debts.

Seeing that everyone listened to his words, Zhu Fu formulated a strategy and said: "We really want to stop the SHIELD Camp, but it is also important to raise the salary of the 12th Battalion. Inviting you here tonight is actually a conspiracy." thing!"

Funing Marquis Zhu Yong and Taining Marquis Chen Huan exchanged glances, but they realized that an outstanding politician had emerged from the Chengguo Palace.

As the night progressed, the core martial arts members of Chengguo Palace were whispering, and a big storm was brewing.

The next morning, the Forbidden City.

Zhu Youtang, who was wearing a dragon robe, rode a dragon chariot out of the main entrance of the Meridian Gate. The palace carriage was already waiting here, accompanied by hundreds of civil and military officials behind him, and the armored imperial guards exuded a chilling air.

"Let's drive!"

As Liu Jin conveyed the holy message, the bells and drums of the Meridian Gate Tower rang in unison, and the group headed towards Desheng Gate under the escort of the imperial guards.

Since Emperor Hongzhi was traveling, the corresponding streets had already been under martial law, and not a single person could be seen in the originally bustling streets.

Zhu Ji, the commander of the Jin Yiwei, did not dare to neglect. He had already mobilized his Jin Yiwei to act as spies in the capital, but he himself chose to accompany him along the way.

This was the first time Zhu Youtang left Beijing since he ascended the throne, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

The team left Deshengmen smoothly. In front of them was an official road heading north. On both sides of the official road were fields, lakes and mountains. Many working people could see the most luxurious royal guard of honor in the world from a distance.

The flag fluttered under the rising sun at the end of the first month, and was illuminated dazzlingly.

At the front are twelve dragon flags clearing the way. Twelve school captains wearing military armor march on the left and right holding the flags, followed closely by the Beidou Flag One and the Flag One in the front, and the Leopard Tail One in the back, also wearing military armor. A, followed by the gate flag, sun flag, moon flag, sixty-four flags including green dragon, white tiger, wind, cloud, thunder, rain, river, river, Huai, and Ji, and five-star flags of wood, fire, earth, gold, and water. , Wuyue Banner, Zhuque, Xuanwu, Xiong and other flags as well as the Twenty-Eight Constellation Flags. Each type of flag uses five soldiers, one person holds the flag and four people hold the crossbow.

Then came the Zhuangjie, Xiangjie, Jinjie, Candle Cage, Green Dragon and White Tiger Banner, Banjian, Wuzhang, Ligua, Wogua, Yi Dao, Stirrup, Halberd, Guduo, Suzaku Xuanwu Banner, etc.

The Jinyiwei is the escort of this honor guard. Zhu Ji, the commander of the Jinyiwei, personally leads 8,000 people and has full authority to protect the golden carriage in the center.

Zhu Youtang chose the golden chariot among the five chariots, but he was accompanied by the palace maids Jin Ling and Niu Mengmeng. He was looking straight ahead, exuding a bit of the emperor's style.

Although he would not be an Emperor Wu who would lead an army to conquer personally, he still wanted to be a true emperor who would make all the people prostrate themselves wherever he went. Therefore, no one could stop him from leading the Ming Dynasty on the path of building a strong military with elite soldiers.

The SHIELD camp is ten miles away from the city of Beijing. It follows the garrison principle of "stationing strong troops outside and stationing weak troops inside". Now a new type of military camp has been built.

Standing under the camp gate were soldiers wearing mighty armor with their hands on the hilts of their swords, and Qian Yi, the admiral of the 12th Battalion, had been waiting here for a long time.

Zhu Youtang participated in the design of this new camp. The biggest feature is that the school field here is very large, and an viewing platform is built on the east side, which is very similar to the single-sided courts of later generations.

ah?

Senior officials such as Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, Jia Jun, the Minister of Industry, and He Cong, the Left Minister of the Ministry of War, were worried, so they chose to accompany them to the viewing platform, but a look of shock soon appeared on their faces.

This heavy cavalry group wore uniform red military uniforms. They carried the "Aegis" flag in their hands and appeared neatly from the school field like a gust of wind.

"Long live my emperor!" Zhang Yong, the commander of the Aegis Battalion, led a thousand heavy cavalry to the auditorium. He immediately led all the soldiers to dismount and salute Zhu Youtang in a military salute.