The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"We should also urge the Ministry of Civil Affairs and various localities to conduct inspections and inspections, strictly prohibit officials at all levels from using public property for private purposes in post stations, prohibit eating and occupying too much, and prohibit apportioning private expenses."

Wei Guangde was still thinking about things, but Zhang Juzheng was already thinking about himself and said, "Actually, these things have been reported to Haigangfeng before, but at that time Gao Suqing was in a hurry to engage in the Beijing inspection and put them aside.

If you hadn't mentioned Yidi today, I really wouldn't have been able to remember it. "

"Oh, Hai Rui also proposed reforming the delivery service?"

Wei Guangde said in surprise.

When he proposed e-delivery, he actually didn't intend to change anything, because the current e-delivery system is actually quite good.

Officials could eat and drink for free at various inns by relying on customs protection, and they would be transported by carriages all the way. They did not have to ask for a cent of money, and everything was reimbursed by the court. The main theme was "comfort".

I heard that Zhang Juzheng wanted to refer to Hai Rui's opinion. He previously said that some unnecessary stations should be abolished and merged, so of course it doesn't matter.

The inns that have been abolished or merged must be places that are quiet and rarely visited by people, so they are on this list.

Doing this would actually have no impact on him, a cabinet bachelor.

But the things behind it have some impact.

At the very least, his official post will not be that valuable in the future.

Not only him, but also posts from other officials are the same.

I touched someone else's cake, but I don't know how I will be blamed behind it.

But Zhang Juzheng didn't seem to be aware of this, or he knew it, and probably felt that he should do it anyway.

Anyway, he just raised it so openly.

Nodding, Zhang Juzheng looked at Wei Guangde and said: "Saving expenses and combating private use of public property were the main contents of his memorial. The cabinet vote was drafted, and the Chief of Ceremonies approved it, but nothing happened after that.

Good loan, but do you still remember that Emperor Taizu established a system for using post stations? "

"Huh? Of course you remember."

Suddenly being asked, Wei Guangde was stunned, and immediately nodded and said: "According to the "Ming Huidian", the person who conveys the emperor's will or the person who has been specially ordered by the emperor to use the post station, or the person who conveys important military events, has a distance of one thousand and five years. Civil and military officials who are more than a hundred miles away from their posts, princes who come to Beijing for pilgrimage or performance, or foreign envoys who come to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, imperial envoys from various ministries, supervisory censors who go to various places to work, disabled soldiers, military widows, and family members of officials who have died of illness Return home.

These few cases can use the inn, but others are not allowed to pass through the inn.

However, after the Jiajing Dynasty, some of the rules have become established rules. I am afraid it will be difficult for my uncle to change them. "

"Ming Huidian" is not static, and has been revised many times. The biggest change was during the Jiajing Dynasty.

After all, Emperor Jiajing was a more unique person among the Ming emperors, and he was no less generous than his cousin Emperor Zhengde.

It's just that although Emperor Zhengde acted erratically, he didn't change the old rules much, while Emperor Jiajing liked to change the system. If anything went against his will, Emperor Zhengde would find a way around it, but he would directly change it.

Many ministers who were punished during the Jiajing Dynasty were punished because they opposed his reforms.

Yan Song catered to his ideas, and then he became famous and prosperous.

During the Jiajing period, the regulations on the provision of suitable inns were greatly changed.

These regulations include useless examples such as Yan Shenggong, a descendant of Confucius, and Zhang Zhenren, a Taoist, coming to Beijing to pay tribute.

What is even more dissatisfying is that the entourage, servants, and post stations brought by these people all need "a ration for each, and a donkey for each post."

The irony is that the imperial court classified kanhe into five types: "gentle, respectful, thrifty and accommodating", and issued them to officials and envoys according to regulations.

But in fact, these people are not gentle and courteous at all. Instead, they are more like vicious bandits, greedily plundering the meager family assets of Shengdou people.

Wei Guangde's post, as well as the survey he took out, actually belong to this category, gathering wool for the imperial court.

Of course, it was all within the scope of the rules. Even if it fell into the hands of Ge Shouli, who was known for his integrity and strictness, he would not be able to correct anything if he made one indiscretion at most.

In the late Ming Dynasty, the ability to use the post station had become a "gift".

If the Ministry of War or the governors and governors of various places give it to others, it will become their lifetime pass. If they no longer want to use it, they can also give it to others again. Just erase the name that can be closed and refill it.

It's that simple, just modify it and you can use it.

Wei Guangde's survey was also sent over by Huo Yi and Tan Lun. He just talked about it and they sent it over immediately.

"No matter how difficult it is, we must change."

Zhang Juzheng's answer was decisive, without any hesitation.

Wei Guangde had no intention of drinking at this time. After all, he was the one who caused the incident, and he didn't know if it would affect his reputation.

Well, I can’t say whether this reputation is good or bad.

Anyway, the mouth is on others, if they say you are good, you are good, and if they say you are bad, you must be bad.

Historical books are not necessarily true. Even the serious "Historical Records" has actually found a lot of misguidance.

"In the 10th year of Jiajing and the 5th year of Longqing, the imperial court issued documents to rectify the inns, which seems to be the last time."

Wei Guangde did not continue. He had already remembered some court documents, which seemed to have been issued by the Long Qing Dynasty.

"Yeah, but it's all over."

Zhang Juzheng said calmly, "But Shandai should know how the people's lives are like where these post roads pass.

It was already very difficult, and the expenses of the post station had to be paid, making their lives even more difficult.

The decrees issued by the imperial court were just pieces of paper accumulated in the yamen at all levels.

Now that the imperial court is vigorously promoting the examination method, it is the right time to carry out the reform of postal services.

Supervise local post stations to strictly inspect the survey and cooperation through the examination method, and crack down on illegal activities such as pretending to be on official business and using the survey and cooperation without authorization.

If the local area does well, the cost of postal delivery will naturally be greatly reduced; if it does not do well, the cost will remain the same.

In this way, even if you and I are in the capital, we can clearly see whether the local examination law has been implemented or not. "

Hearing Zhang Juzheng's thoughts, Wei Guangde couldn't say anything else.

Now anyone who obstructs Zhang Juzheng's implementation of the examination method is Zhang Juzheng's enemy.

Wei Guangde didn't want to have a fight with Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet, as he might not win both.

Moreover, Zhang Juzheng's reforms were actually beneficial to the court.

Although some policies will cause short-term pain to the people below.

But long-term pain is not as good as short-term pain. As long as you straighten it out, you will be fine after the labor pain.

Wei Guangde stopped talking, which was actually acquiescing to Zhang Juzheng's plan.

"Okay, let's drink tonight, why are we talking about business again, haha"

Zhang Juzheng smiled happily at this time, raised his wine glass and motioned for Feng Bao and Wei Guangde to join him.

Soon, the three of them put aside the previous matters, started laughing and drinking, and the atmosphere suddenly returned to the previous one.

When everyone was done drinking and eating, when Feng Bao and Wei Guangde said goodbye and left, Zhang Juzheng seemed to have just remembered, holding Wei Guangde's hand and said: "Shandai, I forgot to tell you something earlier. Master Ge handed over the gift today." A note came over and said that he planned to increase the number of Fujian Dao censors.

However, whether to add new personnel or transfer people from other departments depends on the coordination of the Cabinet and the Ministry of Human Resources. "

"Fujian Daobu people?"

Wei Guangde asked strangely, "Why?"

"Although Dongfan Island and Luzon are under military control and are managed by the Nanhai Navy, you also know that there are no prefectures but there are still patrol patrols."

Zhang Juzheng replied.

Initially, there were no prefectures or counties in Liaodong, which were all managed by health offices. However, the Shandong Province censor still sent a patrol inspector to Liaodong every year to supervise officials for lawlessness.

It was also based on this precedent that the Metropolitan Procuratorate set up patrol censors in Dongfan Island and Luzon.

Wei Guangde nodded and said with a smile: "At that time, just follow the court rules. Let the Metropolitan Procuratorate negotiate with the Ministry of Personnel and submit the cabinet vote."

Wanting to understand the joints, Wei Guangde didn't want to stop him.

Accompanied by the bright moonlight, Wei Guangde walked out of Zhang's Mansion under the courtesy of You Qi, got on his own sedan and went back to rest.

On the southwest border of the Ming Dynasty, in Baoshan City, Yongchang Prefecture, Li Chengliang, the left commander of the right army of the Fifth Army Commandery Office of the Ming Dynasty, stayed up late thinking about tactics against Burma.

In the past two days, he tried his best to collect intelligence about the Burmese army, as well as battle reports from previous expeditions, to understand the strength of the Burmese army.

At the same time, while urging the coalition forces from the three provinces to come as soon as possible, they also had to worry about tactical arrangements.

According to Luo Rufang's suggestion, taking advantage of the opportunity when the Burmese army was still besieging Mengyang, the Ming army suddenly left the border, which indeed had the best chance of winning.

However, according to the intelligence currently available, the various armies assembled by the Burmese King have not arrived, and some are still on the way.

Although victory can be achieved by fighting in this way, the result is likely to be only a defeat, and it will not be able to kill a large number of the effective strength of the Burmese army.

What Wei Gelao wanted was long-term peace and stability in Myanmar, not just defeating the king of Myanmar.

It is necessary to set up a big trap, trap the main force of the Burmese army in it, and then massacre to scare the Burmese people. Only then can this goal be achieved.

At this time, there was a map in front of Li Chengliang, the Yunnan border map.

"Dad, why are you thinking so much? When the third brother's troops arrive, I will lead the vanguard. We will fight all the way to the capital of Myanmar, killing everyone along the way. I don't believe anyone dares to rebel.

When the time comes, it will just be a matter of migrating people from the south to Burma to open up wasteland. The imperial court did not always do this before.

Once you are convinced, move to the real border. "

Li Rusong said disdainfully as he watched his father staring at the map and thinking.

Although the Ming Army in the southwest was not even a bit worse than the Liaodong Army, in Li Rusong's view, if they couldn't even defeat the surrounding troops, then they might as well disband early and why would they stay?

With superior firearms and cavalry, he still believed that he could not deal with the Burmese army on the opposite side.

Li Rusong already knew that the Burmese army's cavalry, or that they had no cavalry at all.

In addition to relying on large numbers of men, the Burmese army also relies on war elephants.

The wars between the foreign states in the southwest were actually based on who had more war elephants. If they directly destroyed the opponent's formation, they would win the war.

King Mang Yinglong of Burma has hundreds of war elephants under his command, making him the most powerful force here.

War elephants are so easy to deal with. If you beat them with firearms, table tennis, and table tennis, they will become more honest.

Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms used rockets to deal with war elephants. In the early Ming Dynasty, Prince Mu also used firearms to deal with war elephants, and the effect was very good.

"If we can eliminate a large number of enemy troops at the beginning, then the subsequent battles will be easier to fight."

Li Chengliang glanced at his son and replied seriously.

"Dad, you said you have been thinking about it for so long, what do you think?"

From this afternoon until now, Li Chengliang has locked himself in the room to think about tactics, but he has been silent all the time, which has long driven Li Rusong, who is always waiting at his side, crazy.

"Meng Yangsi may have friendship with Mu Changzuo and Wang Ning, but so what. After all, he is feeding an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf. It would be better to kill him with the help of Myanmar."

Finally, Li Chengliang spoke.

“The Burmese army has gathered troops in Mengyang and is bound to capture Guannanya Pass and Tiebikuan Pass.

According to Mu Changzuo and Luo Rufang, Ganya, Longchuan and Nandian are not reliable.

Since they are not committed to the Ming Dynasty, it is just right for them to try Mang Yinglong. If they really have a connection with the thief, then let them go and deal with it together when the time comes.

Just let the Yunnan Army maintain the current front line, keep Baoshan and Shidian, and prevent the Burmese Army from advancing eastward.

I intend to let Lao San lead troops to Mengding. "

Having said this, Li Chengliang pointed at a location on the map with his finger.

Li Rusong came over and took a look. It was a place bordering Ming Dynasty and Mubang.

"Dad, I heard that the mountains are high and the forests are dense, making it difficult for a large army to march."

Li Rusong frowned and said.

Li Rusong followed Li Chengliang on the battlefield for a long time, and he also knew about marching and fighting.

Marching and fighting, it can be seen that marching is actually the most important, but fighting is secondary.

If the army cannot reach the place, the battle cannot be fought.

"So, it is unlikely that the Burmese army will attack Ming Dynasty from there."

Who knows, Li Chengliang said this, "Surprise and attack unprepared, wait for the main force of the Burmese army to enter the Baoshan and Shidian lines.

Our Ming army suddenly appeared in Mubang, and then went north to capture Mengmi, so that the main force of the Burmese army could be left in Longchuan Qianya. They would have nowhere to run if they wanted to. "

Li Chengliang wanted to encircle and annihilate the Burmese army's main force of 200,000 to 300,000 people, but Li Rusong was shocked.

"Dad, surrounding three buildings is the art of war. We will not let the enemy fight to the death with us.

If you surround people like this and don't give them any way to survive, I'm afraid they will fight to the death. "

Li Rusong is reckless, but not stupid. He knows how to win and reduce losses.

"Sun Tzu's Art of War: Military Struggle Chapter" puts forward the saying that "a siege must be defended", which is one of the eight principles for using troops in warfare listed in the book.

Encircling Three Ques One is a psychological tactic. Specifically, it means that when attacking a city, the city must not be surrounded to death, because if the enemy is deeply encircled, has nowhere to run, and sees no way out, he will definitely resist desperately.

If you want to make the opponent despair, you must first give him hope. This so-called besieger must be lacking.

If the enemy is surrounded on all sides, it may prompt the enemy commander to make up his mind to fight to the death.

On the contrary, if a gap is deliberately left, it may cause the enemy commander to waver between fleeing or fighting to the death, and at the same time, it will also cause the enemy soldiers to lose their fighting spirit.

"We just want them to fight to the death so that we can kill them."

Unexpectedly, Li Chengliang responded disdainfully after listening to his son's reminder.

"Just like this, it's still not safe. I'm worried that something will go wrong in Baoshan and Shidian. I have to gather troops in Shunning, Dali and Yongping to prevent accidents on the Baoshi defense line. There is also a second line of defense that can prevent the enemy from continuing eastward. Enter."

Li Chengliang thought thoughtfully and said, "But in this way, the small number of troops will be dispersed, which is also a taboo for military strategists."

In the past, the battlefield in Liaodong was mainly based on defeat battles, and Li Chengliang would not consider encircling and annihilating the enemy at all.

This time he went to Yunnan to fight, which really posed a difficult problem for him, which he had never done before. (End of chapter)