I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 251 I'm going to set an example! The young Wanli Emperor's internal strategies

March 25th, afternoon.

About three hundred paces north of the Imperial City, west of Mianhua Hutong, in a private room on the second floor of a teahouse diagonally opposite the North City Military Command.

Dressed in casual clothes, Xiao Wanli and Shen Nian stood at the window, looking towards the corner of the alley ahead.

There were more than 30 people standing in a long line at this corner, and judging from their clothing, they should be merchants from nearby shops.

This morning, the young Wanli Emperor sent someone to deliver a message.

He said he would take Shen Nian to see an interesting performance that was not shown in the imperial court in the afternoon, so he brought Shen Nian here in the afternoon.

Shen Nian looked down, completely bewildered, not knowing what to look at.

These past few days, the young Wanli Emperor has become addicted to traveling incognito to inspect government offices.

He revealed numerous problems in various government departments to the cabinet, but the cabinet has not yet publicly addressed them.

Shen Nian was a little puzzled by Xiao Wanli's sudden positive and motivated spirit, but she was still quite happy to see his ambition.

Actively engaging in governance is far better than neglecting it.

Letting the young Wanli Emperor learn more about the lower levels of officialdom would greatly benefit his ability to review memorials.

at this time.

The young Wanli Emperor exclaimed, "They're here! They're here!"

Immediately, Shen Nian saw three men dressed in short cloth clothes, who were clearly street thugs, appear in front of the merchants.

The leader, a fat man, took out a cloth bag that was about five times larger than a regular purse from his pocket, opened it, and said, "Come on, take out all your peace money."

soon.

The merchants took out small pieces of silver from their pockets or purses, flashed them in front of the fat man, put them into their cloth bags, and then quickly left after marking their names on the list in another man's hand.

Clearly, this is extortion.

Xiao Wanli said, "These three men are notorious scoundrels in the northern part of the city. If the surrounding merchants don't pay this 'peace money,' they will disrupt their business and make it impossible for them to do business. The merchants have no choice but to pay the money every month."

Shen Nian frowned slightly and said, "Alas, the North City Military Command is too negligent, allowing these scoundrels to extort money from the people less than two hundred paces away!"

Upon hearing the words "Northern City Military Command," the young Wanli Emperor smiled and shook his head, then pointed to the end of the alley.

Shen Nian looked in the direction that Xiao Wanli was pointing and was surprised to find that two soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison were peeking out and staring at the spot.

Shen Nian looked puzzled, wondering why the other party didn't come out to stop it.

Less than a moment.

More than 30 merchants handed over the "protection fee" to the fat man and then quickly left.

Just as all the merchants were leaving.

A dozen or so soldiers from the forward military command rushed out quickly. The leader shouted as he charged, "You dare to extort merchants in the north of the city? Don't you want to live?"

Upon hearing this, the three men did not flee. Instead, they covered their heads, knelt on the ground, and cried out, "Sir, we were wrong! We will never do it again!"

Shen Nian looked embarrassed; the two of them were acting like children playing house.

If the three men were to flee immediately, the soldiers of the military command might not be able to catch them.

Immediately, the soldiers of the Military Command tied the three men up, took all the money from them, and strode towards the main street ahead.

Xiao Wanli looked at Shen Nian and asked, "Shen Qing, what do you think will happen next?"

Shen Nian thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, naturally the soldiers of the North City Garrison took these three men who splashed water on the street back to the Garrison for a lesson, and then returned the money to the merchants!"

The young Wanli Emperor shook his head.

"Later, these three street thugs will be taken to the North City Military Command, where they will very politely admit their mistakes. After their statements are recorded, they will be flogged forty times and then detained in the North City Military Command for three days before being released."

"As for this peace money, the North City Military Command will take 80%, and these three street ruffians will take 20%."

"By doing this, the common people will be unable to report any corruption by the North City Military Command, and the patrolling censors will be unable to find any wrongdoing on their part. In addition, the arrest of local thugs and ruffians will be counted as part of their performance evaluation, and they will even arrange for the common people to send them letters of thanks."

"What was originally a case of soldiers and bandits colluding to extort money from the people has somehow allowed these people from the North City Military Command to gain money, achieve merit, and even earn a good reputation!"

"Such performances are not isolated cases; they are a common tactic used by the soldiers under the Five Cities Garrison. In addition to this kind of extortion and robbery under the guise of 'peace money,' they also extort money for fire prevention, tea, cloth shoes, lamp oil, and so on. They can all use local ruffians and scoundrels to make the soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison gain fame and profit, and no one can find out their crimes!"

"With them colluding like this, how can the security of the capital be good? Who would have thought that soldiers and bandits would work together to deceive the court in such a way!" Emperor Wanli said angrily.

Shen Nian had always known that the Five Cities Garrison was terrible, but she never expected that while it was terrible, the latter was also thinking about gaining both fame and fortune.

"Your Majesty, the Five Cities Garrison is responsible for maintaining the daily order and security of the capital. Such unhealthy practices should be widely publicized and explicitly prohibited. It is not too late to discover them now!"

The young Wanli Emperor slightly pursed his lips and walked from the window to the table in the middle of the room.

He glanced at the eunuch in plain clothes beside him, who immediately took out a map from his pocket and spread it on the table.

Shen Nian looked closely and saw that it was a defense map of the capital.

The capital of the Ming Dynasty had three main lines of defense.

Firstly, the outermost area, namely the nine border towns, was where the most powerful and combat-ready troops of the Ming Dynasty were concentrated.

Secondly, the outer city and suburbs of the capital were home to the three major battalions of the Beijing Garrison (the Five Armies Battalion, the Divine Pivot Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion), which were responsible for guarding the capital and patrolling the city gates. The soldiers of these three battalions were mainly under the command of the Five Armies Commandery and the Ministry of War.

Thirdly, in addition to their role in reconnaissance, the Shangzhiwei, the Wucheng Bingmasi, and the Jinyiwei in the inner city of the capital also participated in the defense of the imperial city, but the main defensive force was still the Shangzhiwei (Imperial Guard), which was under the jurisdiction of the Five Military Commissions.

Emperor Wanli sighed, "It's not so bad that the Five City Garrison Commands are unreliable, but if the Five Military Commissions are also corrupt, then the defense of the capital will be utterly rotten, and the court will need a major overhaul!"

"Come on, let me show you somewhere else!"

……

After a while.

Shen Nian followed Xiao Wanli out of the teahouse, got into a carriage, and rushed to the Bei'anmen Gate Tower outside the Imperial City.

Emperor Wanli lifted the curtain and looked at the four soldiers standing guard below the city gate. He said, "Minister Shen, do you think the posture of these four soldiers on duty is befitting their status as imperial guards?"

Shen Nian looked closely and gave a wry smile.

Of the four guards, two were dozing off, while the other two impatiently surveyed the passersby, even casting disdainful glances at those dressed in tattered clothes.

They lacked the spirit and discipline of the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guard.

"Your Majesty, this...this is indeed quite bad, and punishment is necessary!" Shen Nian said truthfully.

The young Wanli Emperor said irritably, "Minister Shen, if you had come here in your official carriage, you would have seen a completely different scene!"

Shen Nian shook his head helplessly.

Since entering officialdom, he has paid little attention to these soldiers guarding the capital.

On the one hand, because those in charge of them were mostly nobles and officials of the court, and the Ming Dynasty valued civil affairs over military matters, they were all very low-key. Sometimes they would deliberately do things that violated the law to let the court know that they were not thinking about making great efforts to govern the country and strengthen the military, so as not to arouse suspicion. On the other hand, since the Longqing Peace Treaty, the Ming Dynasty had not experienced a major war for a long time, so the officials in the court were busy with new policies and thinking about how to replenish the national treasury, and had no idea that the soldiers in the capital garrison were in such a bad state.

Xiao Wanli said, "Most of the soldiers patrolling the other city gates are also in this half-dead state."

"When I found out, I was already furious, but what angered me even more was that most of these patrolling soldiers were imposters. The real soldiers were using the court's money to hire people to guard the area, while they themselves were out enjoying themselves!"

"That's how they deceived the court, that's how they tricked me. They thought I was young and easy to fool!"

Upon hearing this, the young Wanli Emperor's face darkened.

Shen Nian was so embarrassed that she couldn't straighten her head.

If the officials in charge of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions saw the young Wanli Emperor's expression at this moment, they would probably kneel down and beg him to spare their lives.

He thought the soldiers were bad, but he didn't expect them to be this bad.

"Come, I'll take you to the Five Military Commands' Office to see how the real soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, who are actually registered in the military, train."

……

About half an hour later.

Shen Nian and Xiao Wanli disguised themselves as clerks and ordered two real clerks from the Imperial Stud to walk in front of them. Under the pretext of inspecting the warhorses and provisions, they entered the Left Army Commander's Mansion.

The chief official of the Left Army Commandery was Zhang Rong, the Duke of Ying, whose position was hereditary and whose main responsibility at present was to preside over court sacrifices.

On the battlefield inside the Left Army Commandery, there was a group of more than 300 soldiers.

Their daily routine, besides serving as guards for royal priests, consisted of daily drills.

The main training content includes formation drills, horsemanship, mounted archery, charging, flanking maneuvers, firearms use, and melee combat.

These soldiers may not be strong in combat, but because they represent the face of the royal family, Shen Nian felt that they must be well-organized and disciplined.

However, when the young Wanli and Shen Nian arrived at the battlefield and observed it up close, they were greatly disappointed.

First, the number of people is less than one hundred.

Secondly, their horseback riding and sprinting, practicing formations, was nothing more than children playing house. Even if you randomly picked two young people on the street who knew how to ride horses, they wouldn't be this bad.

They may not be that bad at their job, but their attitude is perfunctory; everyone is just trying to get by.

At that moment, Shen Nian suddenly began to doubt everything she was seeing.

"Are all the soldiers in the Beijing garrison... really this bad? The cabinet and the Ministry of War couldn't possibly be completely unaware!" Shen Nian murmured to himself.

At the same time, Shen Nian sensed that Xiao Wanli already knew everything about the observation he had been doing for most of the day, and that it was specifically for him to see.

……

Near dusk.

The furious young Wanli Emperor did not return to the palace, but instead went to the hall of Shen Nian, a Hanlin Academician.

"The Five City Garrison Commands are colluding with bandits and thieves, deceiving their superiors and subordinates, and are truly a scourge of the inner city; the Five Military Commands are neglecting their duties and are being perfunctory in their training, and some are even finding substitutes to embezzle military pay. I am deeply saddened!"

"Back then, Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to the capital, intending for the emperor to guard the country's gates and protect the Ming Dynasty for eternity. Now, the defenses inside and outside the capital are completely rotten. How can I guard the country's gates? Must we repeat the tragedy of the Tumu Crisis?"

"None of these soldiers, who are fed by the imperial army, are capable of fighting!"

Emperor Wanli was so angry he could hardly breathe. After catching his breath, he looked up at Shen Nian and asked, "Minister Shen, do you have any good ideas for reorganizing the Beijing Garrison and strengthening the defenses inside and outside the capital?"

Shen Nian bowed and saluted.

"Your Majesty, the disorder in the capital garrison did not arise overnight, nor can it be restored to its former glory in a short time. I believe that this matter should be discussed by the entire court, and the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions should be ordered to formulate a strategy!"

Little Wanli nodded slightly.

"What you say makes sense, Minister Shen! However, I no longer have much faith in the capabilities of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions. I have an idea to enhance the combat effectiveness of the Beijing Garrison. Please listen to it and see if it is feasible?"

"Your Majesty, please speak!" Shen Nian was happy to hear the young Wanli express his thoughts.

Little Wanli slowed down.

"At present, the discipline of the Beijing garrison is lax, and soldiers are soliciting bribes and embezzling salaries. There are two main reasons for this."

"Firstly, our dynasty has not had a major war for many years, and all civil and military officials are busy with the new policies and reforms, so they have neglected to supervise the order of the Beijing garrison."

"Secondly, military officers underestimate themselves and dare not show their superior ability to train troops, lest they arouse the suspicion of civil officials, so they just let things slide."

“At present, it would be inappropriate for me to suddenly raise the status of military officers, as it may cause conflict between civil and military officials. I think that if military discipline is to be reformed, we need to first establish a disciplined team that all soldiers can regard as a model.”

"I have decided to select three thousand young eunuchs to form the Emperor's personal guard, modeled after the Inner Palace Guard established during the Zhengde era and the thirty-first year of the Jiajing era. They will be trained by me personally within the Forbidden City, setting an example for the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison!"

After Xiao Wanli finished speaking, he looked at the changes in Shen Nian's expression.

He dragged Shen Nian around for most of the day, his purpose being to express this idea and gain Shen Nian's approval.

"Manipulating the inner palace."

Upon hearing these five words, Shen Nian instantly knew what the young Wanli Emperor was up to.

He even suspected that the poor state of the Beijing garrison soldiers he had witnessed that afternoon was all a staged performance by the young Wanli Emperor.

Its purpose was to establish an internal military force.

The primary purpose of establishing the Imperial Guard was not to set an example for the soldiers of the Beijing Garrison, but to strengthen imperial power.

Shen Nian did not object to the young Wanli Emperor's eagerness to strengthen imperial power, because even if the young Wanli Emperor were to assume personal rule, he would still be inseparable from Zhang Juzheng and him.

However, once the inner army was established, the young Wanli Emperor personally sought it out, and the person mainly responsible for its execution became the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The power of the eunuchs will expand again, which is something Shen Nian does not want to see.

Shen Nian knew that the young Wanli Emperor was aware that it would be very difficult for the three cabinet ministers to accept this idea, so he wanted to bring Shen Nian to his side, persuade Shen Nian first, and then have Shen Nian do his best to persuade the three cabinet ministers.

Shen Nian thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this idea will definitely have some effect, but whether it can be implemented depends on the thoughts of the Three Grand Secretaries, the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commissions."

Shen Nian neither agreed nor disagreed.

A faint smile appeared on the face of the young Wanli Emperor.

"I will certainly seek the opinions of the three Grand Secretaries, the Ministry of War, and the Five Military Commissions. Since Minister Shen thinks this idea is useful, then I entrust Minister Shen to write it down!"

Shen Nian had guessed that Xiao Wanli would say this before he even spoke.

The moment he boarded the carriage of the young Wanli Emperor this afternoon, he was destined to become the author of this idea.

"I obey!"

Shen Nian had no choice but to agree first, and then think of a countermeasure. He would never allow the inner guards to appear in the palace, which would only make the eunuchs more powerful.

(End of this chapter)