Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 691 Guardianship and Regency Council (Part 2)

"What should we do then?" Li Chu couldn't help but ask after hearing Yuan Keli's words.

"Regent, do not worry. As I just said, Zhang Changyin's troops and Mao Wenlong's troops have already entered Ping'an Road. Among them, Zhang Changyin's troops are reinforcing the city defenses in the area from Yizhou to Xuanchuan in preparation for the Jurchen rebels to move south of the Yangtze River, while Mao Wenlong's troops are deploying defenses in the area from Guizhou to Dingzhou in preparation for the Jurchen rebels to cross the river from Yongdian and invade eastward." Yuan Keli said, while gesturing with his baton in the northern and central section of Ping'an Road, which is the triangular area composed of the four prefectures of Yi, Ding, Gui, and Shuo.

"But surely two battalions alone can't defend against the Jurchen thieves' 50,000 troops?" Li Chu asked again.

“The Regent is right,” Yuan Keli said, shifting his command baton south to Pyongyang. “So, when we passed through Pyongyang, I transferred another 3,000 men from General Li’s forces to reinforce North Pyongan Province. However, with only these additional troops, our forces are still somewhat stretched. Therefore, I have decided to transfer the Fourth Battalion of the Divine Machine Army under Lieutenant General Shen and the Training Supervisor to North Pyongan Province to strengthen its defenses.”

"You're calling in the training supervisor?" Yi Chu licked his lips. "This is crucial for the defense of Hanyang."

"Your Highness!" Before Yi Yeok could finish speaking, Chief State Councilor Park Seung-jong stepped forward to offer his "advice." "Now that Hanyang is protected by the Heavenly Army, its safety is naturally assured. Moreover, the Pyongan region is our Joseon territory. To rely entirely on the Heavenly Dynasty for protection without exerting any effort would be a laughingstock to the world!"

“Yes, that’s right.” Lee Cheok immediately came to his senses and realized that Yuan Keli wasn’t discussing things with him. He nodded several times to Park Seung-jong, and then smiled at Yuan Keli and said, “If the Guardian needs to use troops, please feel free to do so.”

"Then I request the Regent to coordinate with all departments and offices to prepare supplies and provisions as soon as possible. There are constant skirmishes at the front, and a major battle could break out at any time. Although Ping'an Province has not yet sent anyone to request reinforcements, the reinforcements from the capital region must set off within this month." Although Yuan Keli used the word "request," his tone and wording were so firm.

"Yes," Li Chu replied sternly.

As soon as Li Chu finished speaking, Li Erzhan, who had already shrunk back, stepped forward again. "Guardian."

"Does Judge Li have another brilliant idea?" Yuan Keli turned his head to look, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Although his impression of Li Erzhan had improved somewhat, he was also clearly aware that this man was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

“The supervising lord may not know this yet,” Li Erzhan bowed deeply. “At this time, the training supervisor only has a coordinator, not a general in command.”

"No generals?" Yuan Keli asked. "Then what is Zhao Xu doing?"

“Zhao Xu is merely a general in the Southern Camp,” Li Erzhan replied.

“Then you can discuss how to make up for it.” Yuan Keli was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly remembered something, so he changed his question and asked, “By the way, does that General Jin Yinghe have a son?”

Li Erzhan thought for a moment and said, "Jin Yinghe does have three sons, but the eldest one, Jin Yilian, is probably only in his twenties and is not suitable to be a general."

“Then forget it. You can complete the rest according to your own procedures after the meeting.” Yuan Keli turned to look at Li Chu and said, “I only have one request, and that is, please don’t choose another person like Jiang Hongli.”

Li Chu stiffened, lowered his head, and replied softly, "Yes."

Yuan Keli withdrew his gaze and shifted his command baton back to Yizhou: "I traveled south from Yizhou to Hanyang, inspecting the garrisons in Dingzhou, Anzhou, Suzhou, Pyongyang, Hwangzhou, Haeju, and Kaesong. Although it was just a cursory glance, one thing is certain. None of the garrisons in these places are fit for battle. The old and weak, the feeble and incompetent, and even the young and strong are all listless and weak, like walking corpses."

"Such an army, let alone fighting the fierce and powerful army of the Jurchens, could probably only win battles against bandits who were willing to risk their lives. To put it more bluntly, in my eyes, the only army in Korea today that looks somewhat decent is the Training Supervisor's Army!"

Yuan Keli's words caused the North Korean officials present to lower their heads. In particular, the officers of the Military Affairs Department, led by Zhang Wan, and the officers of the Border Defense Department, led by Qi Zixian, blushed or turned ashen, their faces hanging to their chests, as if afraid of being seen by Yuan Keli.

clap clap clap!
Yuan Keli tapped the map frame heavily, and before all the North Korean officials could look up, he said in an unquestionable tone, "Therefore, I have decided that, starting now, we will carry out a large-scale reduction in the number of troops stationed throughout the country and rebuild new armies in each province!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.

Everyone present could guess that after taking office in Hanyang, this guardian envoy would inevitably carry out sweeping reforms, setting a bad example for the emperor thousands of miles away. But no one expected that Yuan Keli's first act would be a nationwide military reform!

“Your Excellency!” The first person to speak was Zhang Wan. “The slave traitors are now amassing a large army in the northern border, and the people in the country are restless. If we were to reduce the army on a large scale at this time, I fear that rebels would rise up and there would be unrest both inside and outside the country! I urge Your Excellency to reconsider!” Zhang Wan’s tone was intense, but as he spoke, his eyes showed not only worry but also a faint expectation.

“Think it over? I’ve thought about this a thousand times. But what Judge Zhang said is right, haste makes waste.” Yuan Keli nodded to Zhang Wan. “So I won’t withdraw all the troops stationed in various places all at once. Instead, I plan to divide the whole of Korea into three parts and carry out the restructuring over the next few years.”

"Could you please explain in more detail?" Zhang Wan's expression softened slightly, and the anticipation in her eyes deepened.

Yuan Keli moved the baton across the map. "The first batch of demobilization and reorganization areas are Gyeonggi Province, Hwanghae Province, and Pyongan Province. The second batch is Jeolla Province and Chungcheong Province. The third batch is Gangwon Province, Gyeongsang Province, and Hamgyong Province."

Zhang Wan didn't expend much effort before understanding Yuan Keli's reasoning behind this division.

The three regions of Jingji, Huanghai, and Ping'an were the front line against the Jurchen invaders. The military reforms implemented first in these areas were clearly aimed at quickly building up combat-ready troops to support the front lines and alleviate the pressure on the Ming army. Furthermore, most of the Ming's imperial troops were concentrated there, so if anyone took the opportunity to cause trouble or oppose the reforms, the Ming army could suppress them immediately. In short, as long as the front lines didn't collapse and supplies were in place, the reforms were a natural progression.

It's understandable that Yuan Keli designated Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces as the second batch of regions for military reform. These two provinces were the southern defenses of the Gyeonggi region. During the two previous Japanese pirate raids, the pirates had broken through Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces and eventually occupied Hanyang. Strengthening the military in these areas was, of course, to prepare for the Japanese pirates.

The final three provinces, Gyeongsang, Gangwon, and Hamgyeong, are essentially a continuous mountainous region stretching over two thousand miles. Whether it was the Jurchen or Japanese invaders, even if they conquered these areas, they would have to take a long detour, passing through Pyongan, the Yellow Sea, or Jeolla and Chungcheong before reaching the capital. Therefore, it's fair to say that preserving the status quo in Gyeongsang, Gangwon, and Hamgyeong wouldn't pose a significant problem.

"So how do you plan to alter it?" Zhang Wan asked under everyone's gaze.

“North Korea already has a good precedent,” Yuan Keli shrugged. “Just follow the precedent.”

Zhang Wan thought for a moment and said, "So, you want to emulate the example of the Training Commandery and reorganize the army in each province?" "That's right. As I just said, from Uiju to Hanyang, only the Training Commandery, which is a new army trained according to Qi Shaobao's method, seems to be working properly. Since Joseon has already trained one, it can certainly train more!" Yuan Keli raised his baton and tapped it several times on the map. "Therefore, I have decided that this year, in Gyeonggi, Hwanghae, and Pyongan provinces, a Training Commandery army of at least three thousand men will be trained in each province, and twice the size of the old army will be disbanded! Does Vice Minister Zhang have any further questions?"

"No, that's all." Zhang Wan bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for informing me, guardian."

Zhang Wan had long felt that the military system of Korea needed a radical overhaul, and he had repeatedly joined others in submitting memorials requesting the expansion of the Training Command. Unfortunately, the political situation under the deposed King Yi Hun was too chaotic, and even the most basic prerequisite for reform—a stable high-level organization—was lacking.

Putting aside other factors, in the short span of three years from the latter half of the 46th year of the Wanli reign to the beginning of the first year of the Taichang reign, nearly ten generals were replaced in training alone. Under such circumstances, let alone large-scale military expansion and reform, even training and reorganizing troops would be difficult.

In Zhang Wan's view, the Ming army's use of overwhelming force to pressure Korea into military reforms was clearly a good thing. As long as it didn't push too hard as he initially feared, disbanding the old army in a short period of time, there wouldn't be any problems.

However, just because Zhang Wan thinks this way doesn't mean others think this way.

Military reform will never be merely a simple military reform; it will inevitably involve a series of political and economic reforms. And these political and economic reforms will inevitably touch upon, and even harm, the interests of those who benefit from the existing political and economic system.

After Zhang Wan retreated, Hu Cao Jin Jin Guo couldn't help but try to step forward. However, just as he raised his leg but didn't take a step, a cold gaze stopped him from doing so.

“Don’t be a fool,” Li Erzhan sneered at Jin Jinguo and mouthed. “Back off!”

Jin Jinguo stiffened and quickly pulled his raised leg back down.

Kim Jin-guk's subtle shift in stance, though seemingly minor, still attracted attention. Aside from individuals like Zhang Wan who genuinely hoped for reform and national strength, most North Korean officials expected Kim Jin-guk to use financial issues as a pretext to obstruct the imperial envoy. Now that Kim Jin-guk had backed down, many who had initially wanted to stir up trouble, believing that the law wouldn't punish everyone, also backed down.

On one side, the Minister of Revenue, Kim Jin-guk, was held down by a glance from Lee Er-chan, while on the other side, the Minister of Works, Jeong Kyung-se, was urged by Park Seung-jong to step forward. "Go and investigate."

"Investigate what?" Zheng Jingshi was startled and instinctively shook his head.

"Of course, it's about finding out where the money and supplies for expanding the army will come from." Park Seung-jong gritted his teeth, his voice escaping through the gaps between his teeth.

Zheng Jingshi hesitated, clearly not wanting to take this step.

"Go ahead. Just don't say anything. If he gets angry, just back down." Park Seung-jong glared at him fiercely.

“Alright.” Zheng Jingshi licked his lips, braced himself and raised his voice, “Your Honor, I have something to report, and I hope Your Honor will grant me permission.”

"Who are you?" Yuan Keli had no recollection of Zheng Jingshi's face.

"I am Zheng Jingshi, the Judge of the Ministry of Works," Zheng Jingshi said, bowing.

“So it’s Zheng Gongshu,” Yuan Keli nodded and gestured for him to speak. “This is a meeting, so please speak.”

Zheng Jingshi asked tactfully, "I wonder if the supervising lord knows why, since its establishment in the 21st year of the Wanli reign, the training command has only ever had around three thousand people?"

Yuan Keli raised an eyebrow, immediately seeing through the ruse. "Is Zheng Gongshu trying to talk about money and provisions?"

“Yes.” Zheng Jingshi was startled, but still went along with it. “The training of the military supervisors is different from most of the old-system military forces. The soldiers of the training army are not conscripted, but recruited with a military salary of at least six dou of rice per person per month. In order to raise this expenditure, starting from the 30th year of Wanli, the court added a tax of two dou and two sheng of rice to the land tax of public and private land throughout the country, called the three-hand rice tax.”

"After the two Japanese invasions, our country's population plummeted, land lay barren, and records and household registers were largely destroyed and outdated. Although our country has been striving to rebuild and restore our lost territory since the war, neither the population nor the registered land has recovered to pre-war levels. Expanding the army would only exacerbate the situation."

"Enough!" Yuan Keli raised his hand, directly interrupting Zheng Jingshi's speech. "I didn't come here to listen to your complaints. I'm just asking you, after all this talk, are you trying to say that the three thousand miles of land in Korea can only support a maximum of three thousand recruits?"

Zheng Jingshi said awkwardly, "Given the current situation, recruiting 3,000 soldiers is already a lot. Even if we recruit more, we can't increase the number by much. To expand fourfold as you just said, from 3,000 to 12,000, is simply too outrageous. If the guardian does not believe what I say, he can check the records in the Ministry of Revenue."

“Heh, the Registrar of Households.” Yuan Keli chuckled and said bluntly, “I don’t trust your Registrar of Households. In my eyes, those registers are no different from fabricated fake registers.”

"This..." Zheng Jingshi was stunned on the spot, while Jin Jinguo, the judge of the Ministry of Revenue, who was not far in front of him, was sweating profusely.

"You just said that starting from the 30th year of the Wanli reign, you began to impose additional taxes on public and private farmland across the country, specifically for military use, right?" Yuan Keli asked Zheng Jingshi.

"Yes." Zheng Jingshi nodded blankly.

"Then let me ask you, what does it mean?" Yuan Keli looked around at everyone, almost emphasizing each word. "'The nationwide public-private land agreement'?"

"That's right, that's right," Zheng Jingshi said, his head down, unable to finish the sentence after "that's right" for a long time.

"Is it land other than public land and land owned by meritorious officials?" Yuan Keli couldn't help but sneer.

(End of this chapter)