The Prosperous Era of Longwan

"Today, a caravan from Liaodong came over and said they had brought two thousand-year-old wild ginseng. The younger one hurried over to take a look at the goods and forgot about it. Please punish me."

"When did they come here? Did they say why?"

Wei Guangde ignored Zhang Ji's explanation and asked directly.

"Say later, probably after dinner."

In the Ming Dynasty, officials dispersed at Shenshi, which was around four o'clock in the afternoon.

Their dinner time is usually at 6 pm, which is meal time at home.

Of course, except for banquets. After all, it is not about eating, but about socializing, and the time of the host, especially the guests, needs to be considered.

Although the means of transportation in ancient times were backward, the city was also small, and traffic jams were rarely encountered. Therefore, after officials left office, they might chat with colleagues before returning home and just washing their faces. Just have dinner.

Life is actually quite regular.

Wei Guangde returned to the backyard and had dinner with his family soon.

After playing with the children in the yard for a while, I went to the study alone.

Not long after, Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang came hand in hand.

He was taken to the study by Zhang Ji, and after serving tea and cakes, he left the room.

"Brother Zili, Yuan Jing, are you here today but is there something going on at the Beijing camp?"

After the pleasantries, Wei Guangde asked directly.

Tan Lun was his fellow countryman, much older, and his senior in the examination room, so Wei Guangde was much more respectful to him.

As for Qi Jiguang, a martial artist, there is no need to attach too much importance to him, even though he will be very famous in later generations, so he calls him by his first name to express his closeness.

"Shandai, at first I only heard that the Beijing camp was too exhausted to be used. During this period, I went to the three major camps to take a closer look, and I realized where the fatigue was. It can hardly be called an army."

Tan Lun started to speak, but after he finished speaking, he seemed to feel that something was wrong, so he added: "Now among the three major camps in the capital, only the Shenji Camp is somewhat decent, while the Shenshu Camp and the Fifth Army Camp are really terrible. .

The Shenshu Battalion, the first battalion of the Red Helmet General, could barely be seen, but the others were not decent. It would be difficult to gather tens of thousands of people to hold a grand parade. "

"There are more than 100,000 troops on the books, but you can't choose tens of thousands?"

Wei Guangde asked in shock.

"Let's talk about the Shenji Battalion, which can barely be called an army. It should have 5,000 men and horses at full capacity, but it actually has less than 4,000 men. Among them, there should be only 1,000 cavalry, but there are actually only more than 400. The gunmen and The gunner also has a difference of several hundred.

However, the vacancies in the Shenji Battalion have been filled by transfers from the Fifth Army Camp. Do you know how?

Almost all the soldiers with fighting ability in the fifth military camp were selected. The so-called tough soldiers in the fifth military camp had almost no fighting ability in Yuan Jing's eyes. Even if all the soldiers were brought to the parade ground, I am afraid they would not be able to fight. It’s hard to build momentum. "

Tan Lun sighed.

"How could this be?"

Wei Guangde didn't believe it, "His Majesty went on patrol before, and I think the troops dispatched from the Beijing camp are quite strong."

"They are all temporarily selected from the three battalions, not the first battalion."

Tan Lun replied.

"How many soldiers and horses are there in the capital camp? Ten thousand or twenty thousand?"

Wei Guangde asked worriedly.

The Daye was something that had been approved by Emperor Longqing, but if it was not handled well and the emperor lost face, Wei Guangde did not dare to imagine how serious the consequences would be.

Moreover, in the eyes of outsiders, Wei Guangde actually stole this job from Zhang Juzheng.

After all, when he proposed a grand parade in the capital to boost the morale of the Ming army, he did not mention it to the outside world at the time. He planned to wait until Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang found out the background of the Beijing camp before making it public.

Who would have thought that Zhang Juzheng suddenly published "Chen Liu Shi Shu", which also mentioned the resumption of holding grand parade ceremonies.

It is very simple for later generations to use military parades to boost morale. The Soviet Union held military parades every year.

However, at this time, although everyone knew this truth, no one refined it and summarized it. This was also the reason why Wei Guangde became an official.

We know that there are many things that are beneficial if we do them, but we have not formed a theoretical concept.

Unlike later generations, many things have actually been thoroughly studied and elaborated and explained from the aspects of psychology, sociology, etc.

Tan Lun did not answer Wei Guangde's question this time, but looked at Qi Jiguang.

"Back to the pavilion, there are more than 10,000 people in total. In addition to filling up the Shenji Camp, the Shenshu Camp only has enough soldiers."

The Shenshu Camp they refer to is actually the Three Thousand Camp during the time of Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di.

The Three Thousand Battalion was originally a pure cavalry unit composed of Mongolian soldiers. Because the Mongols rode on horseback for a long time, they had good combat effectiveness.

But up to now, there are almost no Mongolian soldiers in the Ming army. Even if there are, their heads have been cut off by the border army generals for military merit.

Therefore, Sanqianying already existed in name only during the Jiajing Dynasty, so it was directly renamed Shenshu Camp at the end of Jiajing.

After chariots played an important role in several border battles, the Beijing camp also began to organize chariot barracks. From then on, the Three Thousand Battalion transformed into Shenshu camp. In addition to cavalry, the camp also included chariot barracks and barracks. The third battalion, which originally had more than 2,000 red-helmeted generals and 500-strong Mingjia generals, had to be reduced because of a lack of horses.

Because the Shenshu Camp mobilized a large number of troops from the five military camps, it was supposed to have a size of 70,000 people, but in reality it only had more than 10,000 people.

After Qi Jiguang explained in detail, Wei Guangde understood that if the old and weak were eliminated, the Shenji Battalion would probably be the size of only 5,000 people.

Previously, Qi Jiguang, as the deputy general of Shenji Camp, did not know much about Shenshu Camp, so he was full of confidence when Wei Guangde told him about the Grand Review.

But now, after following Tan Lun to learn more about Jingying, he became at a loss.

Wei Guangde understood that the biggest trouble in rebuilding the Beijing camp now was the lack of good soldiers. Don't count on the old, weak and disabled soldiers in the Beijing camp.

"Yuan Jing, I remember you trained new recruits in Zhejiang, known as the 'Qi Family Army'. What's going on now?"

Since the local soldiers were not good enough, Wei Guangde naturally thought of transferring Qi's army from the south.

These people have been trained by Qi Jiguang. After arriving in the capital, whether they enter the Shenji Camp or the Shenshu Camp, it should be easy to complete the adaptation.

As for the fifth military camp, forget it. We will count as many as we have at that time. If it doesn't work, we will increase the number of border troops and Jizhen soldiers and horses. We must get rid of the matter and talk about it later.

Wei Guangde was here thinking about how to fool him, while Qi Jiguang over there had a look of embarrassment on his face.

Soon, Wei Guangde noticed it and asked: "Is there something hidden?"

"Mr. Wei Ge, the so-called Qi Family Army has actually always appeared in the name of volunteers, because they do not receive military pay and rely entirely on battlefield gains and rewards.

When the generals were transferred to the north at the beginning and end of the war, they had intended to bring people over. However, the rewards and combat environment in the north were different from those in the south. Moreover, it was difficult for the north to gather together to annihilate the Tatars and obtain heads, so most of them were unwilling to come to the north. "

Qi Jiguang replied.

"If you don't get military pay and rewards, how much difference does the money your Qi's army get compared to the pay of the soldiers in Beijing?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously.

He has not studied the Qi Jiajun. He has only heard that they are an established mercenary force. Some people even bluntly say that the Qi Jiajun is Qi Jiguang's private army, and their income is even far higher than that of the highest-paid battalion in the Ming army.

This model caused dissatisfaction among other Ming armies in the campaign to aid Korea, and also led to the occurrence of the "Jizhou Mutiny" due to the "arrears" of huge military pay.

The so-called last Qi family army in the bloody battle of Hunhe River was nothing more than thousands of troops temporarily recruited from Zhejiang by Qi Jiguang's nephew. After half a year of training, they were rushed into the battlefield.

You know, at that time, the Ming Dynasty had just won a huge victory against the Japanese in Korea, and the Japanese pirates along the coast were almost extinct. Zhejiang no longer needed to retain a strong military force to defend against enemies at sea.

But even the newly formed army, after being trained according to the training methods of Qi Jiajun, still exploded with strong combat power.

"It's more than twice as high as the full salary in Beijing Camp."

Qi Jiguang said with some embarrassment that the reason why he explained that it was full pay was because he was worried that Wei Guangde would misunderstand and thought that just full pay from the Beijing camp could recruit Zhejiang soldiers to go north.

In fact, if he hadn't explained it, Wei Guangde might have thought that the full salary from the Beijing camp would be enough.

You must know that the military salaries of Jingying and Jiubian are the highest among all the armies of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, the soldiers were dissatisfied. Generally speaking, three or four percent achievements were already very high, and most of them only had two or three percent.

The pay rate in Jingying is the highest, perhaps because there is one less layer of local exploitation.

However, the military expenditure of the Qi Family Army was actually more than double that of the Beijing Camp, which still made Wei Guangde speechless.

The Ming court really couldn't afford to support such an army.

That is to say, temporary recruitment is okay, but it will be disbanded after the war.

"Shandai, you know that the imperial court has a clear price tag for the heads of Japanese pirates. The highest level of real Japanese heads once exceeded a hundred taels. Even after the massacre, if you kill a real Japanese now, you can get thirty taels of silver from the government.

As far as I know, when Yuan Jing and his gang killed Japanese pirates, the real Japanese pirates usually had fifty taels of silver, and the fake Japanese pirates also had about ten taels of silver.

The soldiers of the Qi family army, a lucky team, can easily earn hundreds of taels of silver a year, so they are so hardworking in suppressing Japanese invaders. They are basically robbing them of money. "

Tan Lun interrupted at this time.

The Qi Jiajun team has ten people and hundreds of taels of silver, and each person can have dozens of taels.

Wei Guangde nodded slightly. When the Jiujiang Guards encircled and suppressed the Japanese pirates who attacked Nanjing, their heads were worth 100 taels of silver. At that time, Zhejiang was the most affected by the Japanese invaders. Some local officials offered a head of 150 taels of silver. .

"I heard that many places were recruiting soldiers in Zhejiang. How did they pay them?"

Wei Guangde asked curiously.

Zhejiang soldiers were the best source of soldiers for the Ming Dynasty in this era. He had long heard that people from all over the country were recruiting soldiers in Zhejiang. Now it was really easy to find out.

“Those are mostly the general’s personal soldiers, keeping them around for protection, so there won’t be many people.

As far as I know, the military pay of these people is, in addition to their own rations, ranging from one to five taels of silver per month. The military pay for a year is eighteen taels, which are all real numbers. "

Qi Jiguang replied.

Wei Guangde nodded. The officers and soldiers in the Beijing camp received a lot of money, only about five taels a year, but this was not the case in the court's accounts.

Because the mounted infantry is different, the military pay for each branch of the military is also different. Generally speaking, it is about twelve taels.

According to Qi Jiguang's opinion, if the Qi family's army were transferred to the north, each person's annual military salary would probably be more than 20 taels.

This is definitely not possible, and given the current situation in Zhejiang, it is estimated that the life of the Qi Jiajun who stays will not be easy.

After all, the Japanese pirates no longer run to Zhejiang, and they are all afraid of being beaten.

"How many troops have you left in Zhejiang?"

Wei Guangde asked.

“There are about six thousand people, no matter how many we have, we can’t support them.”

Qi Jiguang suppressed the Japanese in Zhejiang, and recruited tens of thousands of troops before and after. However, there were also casualties and layoffs, but the proportion of casualties was always very small, and he maintained an undefeated record, so later generations boasted about it.

Most people believe that the battle loss ratio between Qi Jiajun and Japanese pirates is one to hundreds. This is actually not objective.

You know, although the weapons that real Japanese warriors are good at are long knives, bamboo spears, and bamboo bows, there are also a large number of Han people in the Japanese pirate team, and some of them also use firearms, so there should be many injured people.

In addition, not everyone is suitable for the Qi Family Army's tactics. After recruitment and training, there is elimination and dismissal. Therefore, the scale of the Qi Family Army has always been relatively low.

The peak number was about 6,000 people. Compared with the hundreds of thousands of troops along the coast, the scale of the Qi Army was really underwhelming.

This has already formed a crushing advantage over the Japanese pirates.

Coupled with the mandarin duck formation created by Qi Jiguang, the Ming army had a strong advantage against the Japanese pirates.

Knowing that Qi Jiguang had left six thousand Qi's troops in Zhejiang, he immediately made up his mind.

Although most of the Japanese pirates have been wiped out now, there are still small groups of Japanese pirates roaming around, most of them coming from Guangdong and working under Zeng Yiben.

Therefore, the Zhejiang government is also willing to continue to provide military rations to the Qi army. Anyway, as long as there are no Japanese pirates, there is no need to pay them, just a little food.

"Brother Zili, if the Beijing camp cuts several thousand soldiers and fills half of them with Zhejiang soldiers, can the Ministry of War guarantee the payment of military pay?"

Wei Guangde ignored Qi Jiguang and turned to Tan Lun and asked.

Tan Lun was not stupid, and he understood the meaning of Wei Guangde's words. This man wanted to recruit Qi Jiguang to stay in Zhejiang to replenish the Qi family army in the capital camp.

"Shandai, I understand what you mean. As for the Ministry of War and Beijing Camp, I can make the final decision and I will hand it out personally. But for the Ministry of Household Affairs?"

Tan Lun has already figured out that it is impossible for all the Qi family's troops to be transferred north. After all, they have to be fed with money, and given the current situation, Zhejiang Dusi may not be willing to release them.

But with half the number of men and horses, 3,000 people, it should still be possible.

The food and grass will be allocated from the food and grass of the guest army. This right lies with the Ministry of War.

It means military pay. According to Qi Jiguang's previous words, if they are allowed to go to the north, they must be given military pay, otherwise they will not be willing to come.

"According to the fifteen taels, can we recruit people to come to the north?"

Wei Guangde asked Qi Jiguang.

"Real numbers?"

Qi Jiguang asked rhetorically.

Wei Guangde nodded, and the money came out from the household department and asked Ma Sen to ask them not to withhold it so harshly.

According to Wei Guangde's idea, the account was made to make eighteen taels per person, and the actual payment was fifteen taels, giving them nearly 20%.

"Mr. Wei Ge, I need to contact Zhejiang about this to see what their wishes are. I think it should be feasible."

Qi Jiguang replied, "As far as I know, in the past year, due to my transfer to the north, the rewards originally promised by Zhejiang Dusi have been nowhere to be obtained, and because they are not military households, the local people do not like their existence. Someone wants to go home.”

Wei Guangde nodded, "Then contact us as soon as possible. It would be best if there are three thousand people."

After seeing off the two of them, Wei Guangde sat down to rest and realized later that it seemed that after entering the cabinet, his job was to bargain with the six ministries and localities.