Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 109 Old ginger is spicier; the retired emperor mixed in sand!

On the night of the 10th of the fifth month in the seventh year of the Yongping reign, at the Central Army Hall in Jizhou.

The heavy curtains blocked the candlelight, and armored guards stood on both sides, with sentries every three or five steps, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

"Yue Zhongqi".

"what are you up to?"

"You are plotting a rebellion."

General Zu Chong of Jizhou was bound hand and foot and brought before the court, staring angrily at the people in the court.

"Come on!"

"Who are you?"

"Guards! Someone has rebelled!"

Shouts and footsteps echoed from outside as disheveled figures were escorted inside by the Imperial Guards. When they saw the tall, imposing figure standing in the hall, their eyes widened in surprise and uncertainty.

Wearing a ceremonial hat, a qilin-patterned robe, a jade belt, black boots, and a three-foot-long sword, Yue Zhongqi's tall and imposing figure, even with his back to them, resembled a majestic mountain peak, inspiring awe and reverence.

"Uncle."

"From the General-in-Chief down, the three Deputy Generals-in-Chief, twelve Lieutenant-Generals, six Guerrilla Generals, ten Guerrilla Generals, eight Garrison Commanders, eight Camp Commanders, one Central Army Officer, and twenty-six Supervisors of Jizhou Garrison have all been apprehended."

A young man in a bright red round-necked official robe, wearing a blue black gauze hat and an embroidered spring knife at his waist, reported loudly.

"well done."

Yue Zhongqi turned around, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his hands behind his back, his expression solemn and dignified. His slightly rough skin was covered with the marks of time, and his sharp, hawk-like eyes shone brightly as he scanned the generals of Jizhou present.

"Zhang, the Assistant Magistrate."

"Next, I will need to trouble you to mobilize the Jinyi Army of Jizhou to capture all the officers of the twenty-one thousand-household garrisons under its jurisdiction."

Although the person in front of him was only a fourth-rank commander of the Embroidered Uniform Army, Yue Zhongqi did not dare to underestimate him in the slightest, because apart from the commander-in-chief and two deputy commanders, the four commanders held the most power in the Embroidered Uniform Army.

If Jia Yan hadn't dispatched Zhang Qin, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Army, to promptly mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Army centurions in Jizhou, it would have been impossible to so easily control the entire command center of Jizhou and capture so many generals.

"It's my duty, Your Excellency. You're too kind."

"I'll make arrangements right away."

Zhang Qin, with a cold expression, immediately left the Central Military Hall.

"I, Zhong Qi, the Earl of Lintao, have been transferred by imperial decree to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of Jizhou."

Looking down, Yue Zhongqi's resounding words echoed throughout the Central Military Hall, reverberating in everyone's minds.

'The Earl of Lintao, the General of Jizhou?'

For a moment, the generals of Jizhou were all astonished. The imperial court was lavishly rewarding the meritorious officials of the Datong campaign, and they were the closest to them, so how could they not know? But at this very moment, Yue Zhongqi appeared in Jizhou, and as the newly appointed commander-in-chief of Jizhou, which made them tremble with fear.

"Bullshit!"

General Zu Chong of Jizhou struggled to his feet and shouted, "You say you are acting on the Emperor's orders, then produce the imperial edict!"

"When a general of the Imperial Dynasty is transferred, anyone of the third rank or above must have a transfer order from the Ministry of War. Where is your transfer order?"

"Without an imperial edict or order, you dare to arrest us? Are you trying to rebel?"

Boom!

These words caused an uproar throughout the Central Army Hall. All the generals of Jizhou showed unfriendly expressions. If they hadn't been imprisoned, they would probably have drawn their swords by now.

“Zu Chong”.

"You really won't cry until you see the coffin."

Yue Zhongqi glanced at Zu Chong and said coldly, "The Ministry of War records show that the Jizhou Garrison should have 50,000 combat troops, not counting auxiliary troops."

"The Jizhou garrison now has less than 20,000 soldiers. Where are the rest?"

“The Ministry of War pays a lot of military salaries every year. Who pocketed all that money?”

"Do I need to explain to you one by one who controls most of the garrison lands under the jurisdiction of Jizhou?"

“Which of the nine border towns and garrisons in the country doesn’t do this? Why are you targeting this town?”

To everyone's surprise, Zu Chong, the general of Jizhou, said with a look of dissatisfaction.

It wasn't just him; the generals of Jizhou were all dismissive. Since the Ming Dynasty, it had been common for people to receive salaries without working. If they didn't receive salaries without working, and had to rely on the imperial court's pay to live, wouldn't they all be beggars?

"I will tell you the truth."

“If there were an imperial edict or order, the people who came today would not be the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

"Guess why the Embroidered Uniform Army made their move?"

With his arms crossed, Yue Zhongqi appeared calm and composed.

'Thump!'

Zu Chong's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in disbelief, "Is it His Majesty?"

"You're smart."

Yue Zhongqi continued, "Enough with the nonsense."

"Hand over the ledger obediently, and tell me where all the gold, silver and valuables are hidden."

"I can decide to spare your bloodline; otherwise, with no descendants for your family, how will you face your ancestors in the underworld?"

‘Click! ’

Zu Chong was struck dumb, his face turned deathly pale, his heart turned to ashes, and he could barely stand.

It turns out that behind all of this was Emperor Yongping. The emperor wanted to reorganize the nine border regions and garrisons, so he first arrested him, using the charge of embezzling military funds to collect evidence, and then launched an attack in the court. This bypassed the Ministry of War's order and directly established the facts.

"I'll pay."

After much deliberation, Zu Chong made a difficult decision.

"it is good."

Yue Zhongqi nodded in satisfaction.

With the cooperation of the Jizhou garrison commander, all the generals in Jizhou also cooperated, handing over all the account books and telling him the locations where they hid their gold, silver, and valuables.

In the dead of night, the Jizhen garrison was in turmoil. Dozens of Lintao Earl's personal guards took over 15,000 Jizhen soldiers and sealed off the entire Santun Camp. From top to bottom, all the generals who embezzled military pay or misappropriated garrison farmland were all stripped of their property.

At the same time, the Embroidered Uniform Army launched a massacre in the twenty-one guard posts under the jurisdiction of Jizhou. Officers below the garrison commander, along with local gentry and wealthy merchants, were all purged. The area north of Shenjing and south of the Great Wall was plunged into a state of desolation.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall.

"The Great Emperor."

"With the cooperation of the Embroidered Uniform Army, the Earl of Lintao has already seized Jizhou."

"The confiscated land amounted to approximately 25,000 hectares, and the gold, silver, and valuables amounted to no less than ten million taels."

Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Daming Palace, stood beneath the emperor's desk, bowing as he reported. "Heh heh!"

Emperor Shunkang, who was sitting on the dragon bed, opened his eyes, and a fierce look flashed in his cloudy old eyes: "A single Jizhou town, with 25,000 hectares of fertile land, cannot support a mere 50,000 soldiers, and every year it still has to make endless demands on the imperial court."

"If I remember correctly, when the Jizhou Garrison was first established, the garrisoned land was only 12,000 hectares. In just a few decades, it has doubled."

"There must be quite a few military households and civilians under the jurisdiction of Jizhou Garrison, right?"

"The Emperor Emeritus is wise and sagacious."

Dai Quan then replied, "The twenty-one garrisons of Jizhou have a total population of about one million, with the Three Garrisons alone having no fewer than tens of thousands."

The twenty-one garrisons under the jurisdiction of Jizhou were all located south of the Yanshan Mountains and south of the Jundu Mountains, on the vast plains irrigated by the Chaobai River and the Luan River. It was very convenient to cultivate the land, and the area was close to the capital, resulting in a large population concentration.

"Ah."

With a slight twitch of his eyelids, Emperor Shunkang's hoarse voice rang out in the hall: "The 21 garrisons have no fewer than a million military households and civilians, and the 500 garrisons across the country have at least 2000 million civilians. This is no small matter."

"This time, the fourth brother has learned his lesson and agreed to Jia Jiazi's request to start from the border towns and then extend to the garrisons. Once the nine border towns are resolved, the problems of these garrisons in the inland areas will not be difficult to handle."

“He copied them one by one, streamlined the army, and obtained enough money and food. All the benefits fell into his hands. The people were recommended by the Jia family, but they were all his subjects. If an emperor cannot even subdue his subjects, then he is not worthy to sit on the throne.”

"The Great Emperor."

Dai Quan downplayed the issue and reported, "The Marquis of Zhenguo has already gone to Baoding."

“Niu Jizong is steady and reliable. He is the most suitable person to handle the many guard posts in Beizhili, organize the guards, and delineate the land.”

Emperor Shunkang agreed wholeheartedly. He raised his wrinkled left hand and instructed, "Go to the Qianqing Palace and tell them what I said: don't worry about the rotten things for now, just start afresh."

"The original Beizhili region consisted of Shuntian Prefecture (the capital region), Yongping Prefecture, Baoding Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, Zhengding Prefecture, Shunde Prefecture (now Xingtai), Guangping Prefecture, Daming Prefecture, Tongzhou, Bazhou, Zhuozhou, Qizhou, and Jingzhou."

"The military households that have been abolished this time number about 1.5 million, and they are scattered throughout Beizhili. It is inevitable that they will be established as counties. It is not appropriate to establish separate prefectures. It would be better to abolish these Zhili prefectures and establish new prefectures."

"The 21 guards under the jurisdiction of Jizhou, together with Yongping Prefecture, were established as Tangshan Prefecture, Tianjin Prefecture, and Zunhua Prefecture. The five prefectures and six counties, along with the remaining guards, were established as Baoding Prefecture, Hejian Prefecture, Zhengding Prefecture, Handan Prefecture, Qinghe Prefecture, Changshan Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture. Xuanhua Town and its subordinate guards were established as Xuanhua Prefecture."

"Beizhili was renamed Hebei Province. Yan Qian, the third-class earl of the Jiangyin Marquisate, was transferred to Hebei as General, commanding 50,000 Hebei Guard troops and stationed in Baoding."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Dai Quan left Daming Palace without saying a word and headed straight for Qianqing Palace.

Not long after, at the Qianqing Palace, in the Yangxin Hall.

"I understand."

After hearing Dai Quan's account, Emperor Yongping spoke expressionlessly.

"The slaves retire."

Knowing that the emperor did not like him very much, Dai Quan quickly left.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

A screeching sound of wooden wheels scraping against the floor echoed in the hall, and a figure in a wheelchair appeared in a corner.

"gentlemen."

Emperor Yongping gazed at the night sky outside the palace and said softly, "In the end, what I have done has not met my father's expectations."

"Beizhili was changed to Hebei Province and eleven prefectures were established. Even such a small matter required my father to personally explain it again."

"General of Hebei, the 50,000 Hebei Guards have been handed over to Yan Qian, and the Yuan Cong lineage's power has extended from the 12th Regiment to the entire Hebei province."

"These 50,000 men are less for stabilizing Hebei Province and more for restraining me. Baoding is less than 300 li from the capital. If there is any change, 50,000 men will arrive in an instant. The balance of power between the Hebei Guard and the Twelfth Battalion, one inside and one outside, has been broken."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Wu Sidao frowned and advised, "The Emperor Emeritus's actions may not have been directed at His Majesty."

“Once all the guard posts in Beizhili are abolished, and the 50,000 guards are in the hands of the Marquis of Zhenguo, the power of the founding line will be too strong.”

"The reason why the Emperor Emeritus set the precedent for Hebei Province was precisely to support Your Majesty's reforms of the military system and local administration of the dynasty."

From his perspective, the actions of the retired emperor were precisely a show of support for Emperor Yongping. Simply appointing someone from the Yuan Cong lineage to command 50,000 Hebei garrison troops did not prove anything. There were too few capable generals in the court. Apart from those close to Marquis Wu, Jia Yan, the remaining ones were from the Yuan Cong lineage.

Niu Jizong controlled 50,000 Hebei garrison troops, 120,000 troops in the three major camps of the capital, Yue Zhongqi of Jizhou was also close to Jia Yan, and there were 50,000 soldiers in Xuanfu Town. The Yue family members were not necessarily in the same boat as Yue Zhongqi. In the area around the capital alone, the number of troops directly or indirectly controlled by Jia Yan would reach a terrifying 270,000.

Are you kidding me? With 27 troops under the control of a single minister, if the retired emperor can't sleep, how can His Majesty sleep?
With a sharp blade in his heart, the desire to kill arises naturally. Who can guarantee that Jia Yan, who commands such a large army, will behave as a dutiful subject?

Whether it is true or not, we will find out in the future.

Emperor Yongping said with a complicated expression, "The most important thing right now is the arrangement of these military households."

"Yue Zhongqi sent a messenger with urgent news that the generals and their families in Jizhou numbered over ten thousand."

"After verification, the military households numbered 112 million, with 25,621 hectares of fertile land, and the gold, silver and valuables they possessed were valued at 13 million taels."

"He has presented me with a difficult problem: how to deal with these people, land, gold, and silver."

"What advice do you have for me, sir?"

More than two million mu of farmland, nearly half of the national tax revenue, were confiscated, not to mention the remaining dozen or so guard posts in Beizhili.

Wealth is a powerful motivator, and even a high-ranking emperor like himself couldn't help himself at this moment.

"His Majesty."

Wu Sidao said solemnly, "I believe that all the land should be distributed to military households and civilians, and the government should issue land deeds and land contracts."

“When these fields are distributed, each military household and civilian household will receive no more than two mu of land, but their loyalty to His Majesty is more than enough to surpass that of a thousand soldiers.”

"The 50,000 Hebei garrison troops all come from these military households, and there are also 50,000 border troops in Jizhou. Your Majesty's actions have won the hearts of 100,000 troops."

"As for the confiscated goods, the military pay for the border troops of Xuanfu Town and Ji Town should be paid first, and then the military pay for the Hebei Guard should be paid."

"This not only concerns Hebei Province, but also Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces, and it should become a regular practice for the future dynasty."

"Ah."

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and called out, "Su Peisheng."

"How much is the salary of the Beijing army?"

Currently, only the capital army is a conscripted force under the Daqian regime. The expenses of the garrison troops and border troops are mostly covered by military farms, with the Ministry of War allocating a portion of cash.

"Your Majesty, this is my report."

Without hesitation, Su Peisheng, the chief eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, reported: "Currently, the salaries of the three major battalions and twelve regiments in the capital are all paid in monthly silver."

"Infantrymen pay 1.5 liang, cavalrymen pay 2 liang. The price of rice in the capital is 200 wen per dou, which is 20 wen per sheng (one sheng of rice weighs 1.25 jin, and ten sheng make one dou)."

"Oh?"

Emperor Yongping raised an eyebrow. The annual military expenditure for 24 troops in the capital was about 400 million taels of silver, which was no small amount.

PS: The hats of officers in brocade uniforms come in six colors: red, yellow, blue, white, green, and black. The robes come in five colors: purple, green, crimson, cyan, and black, corresponding to various ranks of official positions (Commander-in-Chief, Deputy Commander, Assistant Commander, Garrison Commander, Thousand-Household Commander, Hundred-Household Commander, and below).

An adult typically needs about 120 to 180 catties of rice per year, and 18 taels of silver can buy 1125 catties of rice.

(End of this chapter)