The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Jiubian Major Town has mobilized more than a thousand elites, or as few as a few hundred, for a total of 7,000 people. It is not very impressive to be reviewed separately, so Qi Jiguang plans to have them form a mixed military formation to review and practice. They also work together to fight together.

Based on previous considerations, there were only a thousand or so cavalrymen in the frontier army, and the remaining five thousand or so were infantry. Qi Jiguang still felt a little weak.

Since it was originally a combined military formation, and thousands of Beijing cavalry were also integrated into this military formation, there would be nearly 10,000 cavalry during the charge, and the momentum of the charge would be revealed.

When I think of so many infantry and cavalry gathering together, just use the traditional formation of the Ming army.

The frontier infantry formed a defensive formation in the middle, and were supported by more than 3,000 cavalry on each wing.

After the infantry formation shifted from defense to offense, they fired volleys with muskets and crossbows, and the cavalry charged out from both wings.

Thinking of this, Qi Jiguang couldn't help but blush.

Even though he had been the chief military officer of a town for a long time, the battles with Japanese pirates were mostly small fights. Even if it was to encircle and suppress big pirates, in fact, the maximum size of the Ming army's assembled army was only about 10,000 people.

The strength of the troops is similar to that of the last wave, but the Southern Army lacks cavalry after all. Even if such an army is assembled, the available cavalry will not exceed 2,000 people, which is completely incomparable with the border army.

Seeing Qi Jiguang's slightly excited look, Wei Guangde asked curiously: 'Why, have you thought of something good? ’

"No, no, Mr. Ge is laughing. The general is just thinking about this matter."

So Qi Jiguang said what he had just thought.

Wei Guangde nodded after hearing this, "Using traditional battle formations will make it easier for the border troops to adapt, and they should be able to get familiar with it after a few joint trainings.

In this way, it will not affect the reading, which is a good idea. "

Qi Jiguang did not consider creating any novel tactics, but used traditional formations, which made Wei Guangde even more relieved.

You must know that most of the current formations of the frontier armies are actually the battle formations formed in the early Ming Dynasty. They have not changed much over the years, and at most they are minor repairs.

Although people like Ma Fang had some innovations, they were not big. They mostly tried to boost the morale of the soldiers and practice their combat skills in order to become kings on the battlefield.

Although they, like Qi Jiguang, have a strong ability to accept some new weapons and know how to exploit their strengths and avoid weaknesses, they did not create some formations to adapt like Qi Jiguang did, especially as the firearms era approached.

Among the Ming army, perhaps only Qi Jiguang had this idea, but it was just an idea and he did not form his own theory based on it.

Ma Fang and Yu Dayou both choose whatever style of play they have, and try their best to use their strengths to defeat the enemy.

At first, he commanded the Datong arms and weapons troops to defeat the cavalry chasing troops. However, after Yu Dayou returned to the south, he did not carry out large-scale changes in the equipment of his troops and greatly increased the configuration of firearms.

The Ministry of War just used whatever it issued, without even thinking about how to further develop the power of firearms.

Perhaps because of Yu Dayou's strong martial arts skills, he often prefers to let his soldiers practice combat skills instead of choosing firearms to kill opponents dozens of steps away.

Ma Fang, on the other hand, has unique insights into the use of cavalry because he has practiced riding skills in Mongolia since he was a child. He prefers to lead cavalry in battles. Especially since he has lived outside the customs for a long time and has very rich survival experience, he can often lead his troops. Get out of seclusion and succeed in a sneak attack.

"In about half a month, the paperwork for you to go to Jizhou to serve as the commander-in-chief will come out. What are you going to do when you get there?"

After chatting about Daye, Wei Guangde suddenly asked Qi Jiguang about his future plans.

When Qi Jiguang heard Wei Guangde's words, his previously joyful expression froze.

According to the time, the border troops were in place. He guided the joint training twice before leaving the capital and heading to Jizhou to replace Guo Hu, the commander-in-chief of Ji Town.

Of course he wasn't happy when someone picked peaches, but he couldn't help it because he really didn't want to stay in Jingying anymore.

In fact, Qi Jiguang still hasn't figured out one thing, that is, whether he will be promoted or demoted when he goes to Jizhou to serve as the chief military officer.

In terms of actual duties, the deputy general of the Beijing camp and the commander-in-chief of Jizhen are considered to be a great thing for being promoted to two extremes in a row.

But don't forget that for the Grand Parade, Wei Guangde got him the position of prime minister. He was supposed to be in charge of the troops in the three towns of Jizhou, Changping and Baoding.

Although they are only responsible for training troops and have no authority over them, they still have considerable rights.

After becoming the commander-in-chief, the post of prime minister will also be removed.

Perhaps, after the Grand Reading, the position itself will be abolished.

Thinking of this, Qi Jiguang stopped worrying, looked at Wei Guangde and said with a smile: "When General Chu Mo wrote the "Regulations on Military Training Regulations", he had considered training ten infantry units and five cavalry units to defend Jinmen using the Zhejiang Army model. Baoji Town is worry-free.

To this day, the general still thinks so. "

"The Zhejiang soldiers' tactics may be useful against the Japanese pirates, but they cannot stop the Japanese pirates from charging. How do you plan to solve this problem?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

He actually noticed this when he watched the Zhejiang soldiers' drill last time, and now he has thought of countermeasures.

However, he cannot say this directly. It depends on whether Qi Jiguang can realize this problem and find a way to solve it himself. Maybe based on his experience, he will think of a better solution.

"Mr. Genge, the general has a solution here. That is to change the Zhejiang army into a chariot camp, use chariots to form a defense line, and place firearms in the carriages to shoot the captives. At the same time, the carriages can also handle the transportation of the army's baggage during the march. problem."

Qi Jiguang replied.

"That's very good."

Wei Guangde thought to himself that it was indeed a chariot.

When later generations think of war, the first thing they will think of are tanks and cannons, so it is normal for Wei Guangde to think of tanks, but this was not the case in the Ming Dynasty.

There were already some chariots in the frontier army, so it was more reasonable for the generals of the frontier army to use chariots to deal with the captive cavalry. But after all, Qi Jiguang had been fighting in the south for a long time, and such things were not popular there.

"When I was in Jizhen, I saw a new car camp trained by Commander-in-Chief Guo. He felt that by cooperating with the Zhejiang Army's tactics, we could maximize our strengths and avoid weaknesses, and if we use them, we would be invincible."

Qi Jiguang said with confidence.

"Does the chariot camp have any shortcomings?"

Wei Guangde asked again.

Asked about the shortcomings, Qi Jiguang pondered for a while before saying: "Of course there are some shortcomings, the main one is that they are weak in attacking cities, and others are stronger than the infantry.

However, because the opponents are captives and mostly fight in the field, they can be ignored.

The main reason is that the cost of building a chariot may need to be allocated by the court. "

Qi Jiguang had been in the capital for a short period of time and knew that the imperial court was currently financially tight.

He thinks that his idea is right, but he needs the support of the court and money to do it, otherwise it will become a castle in the air and cannot be realized.

"This requires you to go over there and make careful plans with Governor Tan. The support the court can give is limited."

Wei Guangde answered, but then added, "Don't write about the "Regulations on Military Training" and "The Pronunciation of the Supreme Government and the Regent's Power" that you submitted before. If you have any ideas, you can tell Tan Zili and ask him to submit them. .”

"The general will eventually realize his mistake."

When Qi Jiguang heard Wei Guangde mention this, he hurriedly stood up and bent down.

"Although the "Regulations on Military Training Regulations" touches on border affairs, it is mainly focused on military training after all. I was at the Ministry of War to make a difference, but the "Statement of the Supreme Government and Regent Power" that you later published required a clear distinction between the powers and responsibilities of border ministers. , do you know how much trouble it caused in the court?"

Wei Guangde looked at Qi Jiguang's look and said in a very casual tone, "A military general who is good at discussing side affairs is not a good thing for you."

Qi Jiguang still maintained the bowing posture and whispered: "The general will finally realize his mistake."

Wei Guangde really didn't know about Qi Jiguang's later memorial "The Shang Government Speech and Regent Power" beforehand. He didn't hear about it until the Ministry of War discussed it.

At this time, Tan Lun had already gone to Jizhou, and he was the only one in the capital who helped to say a word to excuse him, but it took a lot of effort.

You should know that the cabinet has no jurisdiction over the six ministries and only has the right to coordinate.

If Tan Lun was here, this matter might be much simpler.

Qi Jiguang also knew the serious consequences of this matter, so he simply hid in the capital camp for those days and did not dare to return to the city until Wei Guangde calmed down the matter.

However, after this incident, he also knew that memorials should not be published casually, as it could easily lead to disaster.

When Wei Guangde talked about this matter, he also wanted to beat him up.

"Originally, Governor Tan paved the way for you, the chief military officer of Ji Town, to control Changping and Baoding towns, haha."

Wei Guangde chuckled and said: "It's better now. It's all in vain. It can only be a group of people in Jizhou."

When Wei Guangde said this, he stared at Qi Jiguang to see his reaction.

If he shows any dissatisfaction at this time, he will basically choose to abandon this person.

Fortunately, Qi Jiguang seemed to have been prepared. He just cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Mr. Ge, for your help, otherwise Qi would have gotten into trouble." ’

"It's good to know. Be careful in the future and don't do it again."

Wei Guangde was very satisfied with Qi Jiguang's attitude and said: "As for those two towns, when you are done in Ji Town, I will think of some way to make you the real commander-in-chief of Ji Town, commanding three towns and ten towns." More than ten thousand troops. ’

The next day, Wei Guangde returned to the cabinet office.

During this period, the world seemed to be at peace, memorials from all over the country were the usual practice, nothing happened, and Wei Guangde was happy and at ease.

The memorials distributed to the hands are all quickly drafted after simple reading. After all, there are precedents, and it is very simple to process.

In the afternoon, a memorial from Wei Xuezeng, the censor of the governor of Liaodong, appeared in front of him. It turned out to be Wei Xuezeng's report that he wanted to build a military camp in Guangning.

It was a coincidence that I only discussed the military chariot with Qi Jiguang yesterday, and saw such a memorial the next day.

Wei Guangde carefully studied Wei Xuezeng's plan and built 120 chariots with 25 men per vehicle, totaling 3,000 infantry, commanded by guerrilla general Ma Wenlong.

Every two chariots are equipped with a carbine to block the gaps, and cotton curtains are used on the top and bottom of the carriage to avoid arrows and stones.

Each vehicle is equipped with two Buddha guns and six thunder cannons. Each horse gun rack is equipped with twelve long spears and six thunder cannons.

After reading the review by the Ministry of War, Wei Guangde naturally would not object, but ordered the scribe to make a separate copy.

There is nothing interesting about this memorial, and it was just copied and given to Qi Jiguang.

Wei Xuezeng's memorial was actually a relatively complete plan for constructing a military chariot camp. He thought that since Qi Jiguang also planned to do this, he could give him a copy as a reference to improve his own military chariot camp construction.

After finishing all these tasks, seeing the sky getting closer to San Yamen, Wei Guangde asked Lu Bu to pack up and prepare to get off work.

"Mr. Wei Ge, the chief assistant has invited me."

At this time, a clerk came in outside the duty room door to inform him.

Wei Guangde glanced at the sky outside the door and asked casually: "Do you know who the chief minister called? What's the reason?"

"All the elders have been notified. It seems to be a memorial from the Ministry of Rites."

The scribe replied.

Wei Guangde complained a little in his heart. He didn't wake up in the morning or late at night. He had to discuss business matters when he got off work. That's right.

However, he remained easygoing on his face and said with a smile: "Then let's go."

When he walked to the check-in door, he still ordered: "Lu Bu, close the door after you finish cleaning here."

"Yes, sir."

Lu Bu turned around and agreed, then continued to pack it up.

After Wei Guangde came to check on Li Chunfang's room, Chen Yiqin had already arrived first. His check-in room was the closest to here, so it would naturally not delay things.

After Wei Guangde entered, Li Chunfang greeted him to sit down, while Chen Yiqin was reading a memorial.

"Mr. Li Ge, Mr. Chen Ge, I wonder if something big has happened?"

Wei Guangde bowed to them as soon as he entered the door.

"Qi Yuanzuo, the doctor in the Ceremony Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, requested to restrict the sectarian affairs. This matter is serious, so I invite you to come and take a look."

Li Chunfang smiled, while Chen Yiqin just nodded slightly. It seemed that the memorial contained a lot of content and could not be read in a short time.

Wei Guangde frowned and sat down under Chen Yiqin without saying much.

Soon, both Yin Shizhen and Zhang Juzheng arrived, and after greetings, they took their seats.

Wei Guangde also wanted Yin Shizhen to sit over, but Yin Shizhen just waved his hand and sat down below him.

Zhang Juzheng was sitting under Li Chunfang, opposite them.

This is the usual scene of cabinet discussions, which also hints at the strength and relationship of cabinet power.

After Chen Yiqin read it, the memorial was naturally handed over to Wei Guangde.

Sure enough, the memorial contains a lot of content.

The opening chapter talks about statistics, "In the early days of the Kingdom, there were only forty-nine princes, princes, and generals. Now there are 29,492 surviving jade certificates. Compared with the early days of the Kingdom, there are no less than a thousand times. Based on this year's total income The supply is less than half of what is needed.”

Sure enough, the first article made Wei Guangde raise his eyebrows, "For a limited number of titles, the eldest son of the prince will be granted the title of prince, the second son of the prince will be granted the title of the fourth, the eldest son of the prince of the county will be granted the title of the prince, and the second son of the prince will be granted the title of the third; The general of the town is allowed to grant the title to two of his direct descendants, and if there is no legitimate concubine, only one of his concubines can apply for the title; the lieutenant of the general of the town and the state can only grant one son, regardless of the concubine. Anyone who cannot be granted the title will be given a certain amount of money and a seal and uniform."

Seeing this, Wei Guangde raised his head and glanced at Li Chunfang and Chen Yiqin. Seeing that their expressions were as usual, he lowered his head and continued to look.

The following content also contains many significant modifications to the rules set by Zhu Yuanzhang. It can be said that if this memorial is passed, it will be a major change in the ancestral system.

Wei Guangde also looked as usual, because he knew that this memorial was well said and well written, but it would only be abandoned and would not be praised by Emperor Longqing.

After reading it, he handed it to Yin Shizhen, followed by Zhang Juzheng.

After everyone had seen it, Li Chunfang naturally asked everyone.

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Your Majesty and the clan may not accept what Qi Langzhong has proposed, as it would change the ancestral system too much.

Negotiable, but not feasible. "

Yin Shizhen frowned and said, "I think it actually makes sense. Why isn't it feasible?"