Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 64 The Lazy Emperor and His Advancing Ministers

“Your Majesty, since you have allowed Grand Secretary Bi to implement reforms, then you should at least allow me to reorganize the Beijing Garrison, right? You can’t be biased!” Zhang Weixian entered the palace during mealtime and brought up the old matter again.

"Oh dear Zhang Aiqing, I may be biased towards some, but I do favor you! You're already a Duke, you don't need this little bit of merit, why are you working so hard? The Lantern Festival is in a few days, you go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices in my place!" Zhu Youjian said.

"Your Majesty, I do not wish to die a muddled death; I only wish to return wrapped in a horse's hide!" Zhang Weixian said stubbornly.

"Then go and do it. You are only allowed to target the Beijing Garrison, not the garrisons in the capital. Also, remember to drag the Beijing Garrison's Assistant Military Governor, Wang Zaijin, into the mess. And you should also go and talk to Grand Secretary Bi." Seeing Zhang Weixian's firm attitude, Zhu Youjian finally relented. Why are they all so determined? First it was Bi Ziyan, and now it's Zhang Weixian.

Sometimes Zhu Youjian felt quite helpless. He wanted to be a lazy bum, but his subordinates wanted to advance. When he finally wanted to advance, a bunch of people jumped out to oppose him. He was really caught in a dilemma and didn't know what to do.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your kind permission!" Zhang Weixian kowtowed excitedly and immediately took out his memorial, asking the emperor to stamp it with red ink.

"Another one who intends to bypass procedures and not follow the rules," Zhu Youjian lamented in his heart.

Zhu Youjian glanced at Zhang Weixian's memorial, wondering where he had been studying during this time. This memorial seemed surprisingly reliable compared to his previous one! He had even managed to get the joint signatures of Marquis Guo Peimin of Wuding, Marquis Jiang Bingzhong of Dingxi, Marquis Liu Wenbing of Xinle, Marquis Dingyuan, Marquis Xincheng, Earl of Huian, and Earl of Xuancheng, among others. He really put his heart into it.

"You don't need to thank me, I should be thanking you!" Zhu Youjian said with emotion.

However, the memorial was eventually sent to the cabinet, and after some revisions, a new official edict was finally issued.

Bi Ziyan originally intended to crack down on the practice of soldiers receiving salaries without working, so he decided to start by targeting the Beijing Garrison, an easy target.

The Beijing Garrison was indeed an easy target, and Zhu Youjian had no hope for its current fighting strength. However, the Beijing Garrison was not an easy target at all. Nobles, eunuchs, civil officials, military officers of the Beijing Garrison, and related merchants—all the major forces in Beijing wanted a share of the spoils from the Beijing Garrison.

"Minister Zhang, I am lending you the Right Guard of Wuxiang and granting you permission to command the Southern Garrison. You must protect yourself and avoid being plotted against by villains!" Zhu Youjian said, holding Zhang Weixian's hand.

Zhang Weixian was somewhat moved. He said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. I am skilled in archery and horsemanship, and my martial arts are also quite good. Ordinary scoundrels can hardly get close to me."

"That's why I'm not at ease! Promise me that you will always be accompanied by attendants when you go out, and that you will always have someone taste your food. Is that alright?" Zhu Youjian grabbed Zhang Weixian's hand and wouldn't let go.

Tears streamed down Zhang Weixian's face as he nodded emphatically and said, "Your Majesty's instructions will never be forgotten!"

Zhu Youjian treated Zhang Weixian to a simple meal. Previously, Sun Chuanting had criticized him for his gluttony, but even this was only four dishes and a soup—the emperor's standard of living was quite low, wasn't it? It's said that those gentry even wore their clothes once and then threw them away; their elaborate furnishings, like meat screens and beauty basins, were far more extravagant than his. It's also said that while the emperor was hanging himself from a crooked tree, the gentry of Jiangnan were still having lewd parties!
After the meal, Zhu Youjian personally escorted Zhang Weixian to the Qianqing Gate and watched him leave until he could no longer see his back.

In fact, the Ming Dynasty was not lacking in loyal and capable generals! Turbulent times produce heroes, and the more difficult the circumstances, the more upright the nation's backbone appears. The lineage of the Duke of Ying truly embodied the spirit of sharing the nation's fate. After the fall of Beijing, Zhang Weixian's grandson, the last Duke of Ying, Zhang Shize, personally led his troops in battle and died in the fall of the city, sacrificing himself for the Ming Dynasty.

The Jingying (Capital Garrison), also known as the three major garrisons of the capital, consisted of the Five Armies Garrison, the Divine Machine Garrison, and the Three Thousand Battalion, which were respectively the regular main force, the firearms corps, and the elite cavalry. This time, Zhang Weixian did not expect to reorganize the entire Jingying, but instead temporarily ignored the Five Armies Garrison and started with the smaller Divine Machine Garrison and the Three Thousand Battalion.

In his memorial, he mentioned that the Shenji Battalion's firearms were old and severely damaged, and the soldiers were not proficient in using them. Furthermore, the cavalry of the Three Thousand Battalion could not ride horses or shoot arrows because the Ming Dynasty's horse administration had collapsed, leaving them without horses. He planned to eliminate the practice of drawing salaries without working and invest the saved money in purchasing warhorses and manufacturing firearms. Ultimately, the nominal number of troops in the Beijing Garrison would shrink significantly, but by pooling elite forces, he believed they could train several thousand elite soldiers. He hoped the emperor would be prepared for this.

Zhu Youjian didn't care. The Beijing garrison was truly ruined. He felt that exchanging tens of thousands of paper troops for a few thousand soldiers was a good deal.

Bi Ziyan will handle the civil officials, while Zhang Weixian, as the head of the nobility and having the merit of supporting two emperors, has enough prestige. However, he will offend too many people, and he just needs to avoid being killed in the end.

In fact, in the original historical timeline, both Zhang Weixian and Lu Xiangshan, when they served as Minister of War, carried out reorganization of the Beijing Garrison, and the results were effective. Unfortunately, both of them could not avoid the end of their policies after the death of their respective leaders.

Zhang Weixian died inexplicably, and Lu Xiangshan was also sent to a foreign post and eventually died on the battlefield. When Li Zicheng attacked Beijing, the Beijing garrison was left with only 30,000 old and weak men, who surrendered without much resistance.

In any case, all Zhu Youjian could do was to protect these people who were doing the work while he was on the throne, and at least not allow others to use him as emperor to kill people. He would protect them at the court level. As for other open and covert attacks, these people who had climbed up from humble beginnings should be experienced in dealing with them.

Lu Xiang-sheng is now the prefect of Daming Prefecture. Although he is a civil official, he practices martial arts every day carrying a 140-pound iron broadsword. A few days ago, Zhu Youjian even saw his memorial on the occasion of him suppressing a group of bandits.

If Lu Xiang-sheng weren't only twenty-eight years old and not yet qualified, Zhu You-jian would have wanted to directly transfer him back to be the Minister of War. That idiot Cui Cheng-xiu would have disliked him long ago!

The "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty" stipulated that all officials in the Six Ministries were appointed by the emperor. Zhu Youjian felt that he was becoming increasingly audacious lately.

"Your Majesty, I miss you." After Zhang Weixian left, Sun Shixiu peeked out.

The mountain won't come to me, so I'll go to the mountain myself. Sun Shixiu wasn't one to sit idly by and wait for death. The emperor hadn't contacted her for several days, so she decided to go to him herself.

Zhu Youjian smiled gently and asked with concern, "How have you been feeling lately? Do you still feel nauseous?"

"I'm all better now, uh, just a little bit more." Sun Shixiu rubbed her index finger and thumb together to indicate.

"Have you eaten? I still have some leftovers here," Zhu Youjian said.

Sun Shixiu glanced disdainfully at the leftover food on the table, patted her belly, and said, "I'm already full."

"You're pregnant, don't take pictures like that!" Zhu Youjian's face twitched.

“It’s just patting my belly, it’s not that serious!” Sun Shixiu retorted.

(End of this chapter)