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

Chapter 56: Walk the Emperor's Path, and Leave the Emperor with No Way to Go!
"After this battle, true gold is tempered by fire, and it is clear at a glance who is mediocre and who is brilliant."

"The quality of an army is more important than its quantity. We should follow the example of Yuan Congxun and streamline our forces."

"Among the nine marquises, the Jinghai Marquis's Mansion controlled the Fujian Navy, the Zhongyou Marquis's Mansion considered itself a scholar and was a key member of the Donglin Party, the Jianning Marquis's Mansion and the Jiangyin Marquis's Mansion had a strict family style and were skilled in both literature and military affairs. The other five marquis's mansions were the ones that truly united the army."

"Wu Shifan, First-Class Earl of the Marquis of Chong'an, is in charge of the Twelve Battalions, holding the same rank as the Second Rank. Shang Zhongxuan, Third-Class Earl of the Marquis of Baoning, Geng Sheng, Third-Class Earl of the Marquis of Huaishun, and Gao Yue, Third-Class Earl of the Marquis of Xingping, are respectively the commanders of the Four Martial Battalions, the Four Brave Battalions, and the Four Mighty Battalions, holding the same rank as the Second Rank."

"Liu Tao, the third-class earl of the Marquis of Linqing, was appointed as a general of the Imperial Guards of the Daming Palace, holding a rank equivalent to the second grade."

"I plan to submit a memorial to rebuild the Beijing Garrison, which will consist of five armies, three thousand men, and three battalions of the Divine Machine Army, totaling 120,000 men."

At this moment, Jia Yan gradually revealed part of his plan, but this part already made Niu Jizong and the other two tremble with fear.

"Good nephew!"

Just as Niu Jizong was about to speak, Jia Yan interrupted him with a gesture: "Uncle, are you trying to say that this is impossible?"

"If it's just His Majesty, then perhaps it's impossible. But what if the Emperor Emeritus also agrees?"

"In the end, His Majesty will take over the reins of this empire. The retired emperor is getting old and he hopes that the current emperor can sit firmly on the throne and that the emperor and his ministers can work together."

"The dynasty has long suffered from accumulated problems. If there were another war of annihilation, who would be able to come to the aid of the border troops, the capital troops, and the garrison troops?"

"The Twelve Battalions must suppress the capital city and send some young men to fight. If they still manage to win, it would be impossible unless the Jade Emperor is protecting them."

'Ugh!'

Niu Jizong, Hou Xiaokang, and Liu Fang were speechless.

The victory in the Battle of Datong was hard-won. They knew very well that it was not their achievement, nor could it prove the strength of the imperial army. On the contrary, the near one-to-one casualty ratio between the attacking and defending sides was enough to demonstrate the incompetence of the Daqian army. The 200,000 men they brought were not soldiers, but civilians.

"The Beijing Garrison has 120,000 men, the Five Armies have 50,000 men, the Three Thousand Men have 50,000 men, and the Divine Machine Battalion has 20,000 men."

"There are about 90,000 troops from the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Capital Garrison, which will be used to fill the Five Armies Camp and the Divine Machine Camp. 30,000 Mongol cavalry and 20,000 Capital Garrison soldiers will be selected from among the Mongol prisoners to form the Three Thousand Camp. In this way, the three major camps of the capital will definitely be the most combat-effective army in the country."

"No matter what problems arise, the three major military camps of the capital can rush to the Nine Garrisons in time to provide assistance, so that we will not end up like this."

"Ah."

Niu Jizong and the other two nodded in unison.

In the past, the three major military camps of the Ming Dynasty were configured in this way, which ensured the absolute dominance of the Ming Dynasty in its early period.

“Once my three uncles are ennobled, they will no longer be able to lead troops.”

"The three major military camps in the capital must be controlled by the founding lineage. They should be established according to the number of people, requiring three commanders and six assistant generals."

"Feng Tang, Wei Jingyuan, and Li Chuan are the three commanders of the three major battalions, while Qi Zhengze, Qin Xiuyuan, Li Xiao, Qi Jianhui, Jiang Zining, and Xie Jing are the assistant commanders."

"The military governor of the capital garrison was appointed by She Shu."

With keen eyes, Jia Yan delivered his explanation methodically.

"Can!"

Niu Jizong and the other two had no objection to this. Jia She was the most powerful warrior among the founding lineage. That night, when blood stained the capital, he single-handedly crushed the fourteenth prince, the strongest member of the royal family, who is now the Prince Yizhong.

Although Jia She had spent the years holed up at home as a dissolute playboy indulging in wine and women, no one dared to ignore his existence.

Furthermore, the capital garrison has always been the territory of the founding generation, and the governor of the capital garrison could only be a member of the Jia family, for no other reason.

"The three major military camps in the capital alone are not enough. In the imperial court, all the important officials of the six ministries are people of the retired emperor."

"None of the following ministers—Zhang Tingyu, Minister of Personnel and Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall; Zhou Peigong, Minister of War and Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion; Chen Tingjing, Minister of Revenue; Yu Chenglong, Minister of Justice; Tian Wenjing, Minister of Rites; and Sun Jiagan, Minister of Works—would obey the current emperor's edict."

"This is precisely our opportunity. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of War was responsible for military registration, border defense planning, and postal logistics, but did not have the authority to command and deploy troops."

"In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the civil administration controlled the military, and the Ministry of War gradually gained power. Even now, it has the authority to oversee the assessment of military officers, the allocation of military units, and border defense affairs. The Minister often supervises the army on expeditions, making it the central hub of the army in the country."

"Now that my three uncles have been ennobled, they should set an example for all military generals in the land. How can they waste their youth?"

"What my dear nephew means is..."

Niu Jizong and his two companions seemed to sense something, their eyes growing even more fervent. "Civil officials govern, military generals command armies; this was true of the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties."

Jia Yan said confidently, "If our dynasty wants to establish a magnificent cause that surpasses the Han and Tang dynasties and overshadows the Ming dynasty, it must ensure a clear separation between military and political affairs."

"The garrison system has long been plagued by problems, wasting money and grain. Why don't you three uncles use the garrison system as a pretext to petition for the reconstruction of the Five Military Commands?"

"Wonderful!"

This suggestion was met with enthusiastic approval from Niu Jizong and his two companions.

"Nephew."

"The three major military camps in the capital are easy to deal with, but the Five Military Commissions might not be so easy."

Liu Fang frowned and questioned.

"Of course it's not easy."

Jia Yan said calmly, "On the one hand, the royal family is wary of the founding nobles, and on the other hand, they want the founding nobles to contribute to the country."

"We need to do two things: first, demonstrate our value to the Emperor Emeritus; second, show loyalty to His Majesty the present."

"???"

Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang were all stunned.

"How to demonstrate value is nothing more than removing the rotten flesh. Take the four kings, eight dukes, and twelve marquises as examples, who submitted memorials voluntarily giving up the legacy of their ancestors."

"How is this possible?"

Before Jia Yan could finish speaking, Hou Xiaokang blurted out.

"why not?"

Jia Yan rolled her eyes and continued, "Besides that imperial plaque, the Duke of Xiu's mansion only has one residence and a few estates. What else is left?"

"."

Hou Hsiao-kang was speechless, a bitter smile on his lips.

Yes, only three generations. What's left for him? A first-class viscount?
He wasn't the only one; Niu Jizong and Liu Fang felt the same way.

"They've taken the initiative to submit a petition; would the royal family really be so shameless as to take everything back?"

"It's nothing more than replacing the Duke's Mansion plaque with a Marquis's Mansion plaque, and returning the rest of the meager sums to you."

"You uncles can't even be bothered with such superficial formalities?"

"Forehead!!!"

Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang looked at each other and realized that this was indeed the case.

"However, it's hard to say about the others."

"Chen Ruiwen, Ma Shang, Han Yu, Fan Yuan, and Pei Zhe were originally only third-rank generals. With their military achievements this time, they may be promoted to barons. The Qi State Duke's Mansion, the Zhi State Duke's Mansion, the Jinxiang Marquis's Mansion, the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion, and the Chuanning Marquis's Mansion are definitely not going to survive."

Jia Yan added a few more words.

"We understand."

Niu Jizong and the others understood perfectly.

While it might be somewhat improper for an earl to inherit a duke's or marquis's residence, it wouldn't be considered excessive, since both are of higher rank. However, for a viscount or baron to inherit a duke's or marquis's residence would exceed the bounds of propriety, and neither the court nor the royal family would allow it.

PS: The nine marquises of the Yuan dynasty were: Marquis of Jianning: Zhang Chen (Zhang Huangyan); Marquis of Jiangyin: Yan Qian (Yan Yingyuan); Marquis of Jinghai: Shi Tingxiang (Shi Lang).

Marquis of Chong'an: Wu Shifan (Wu Sangui) Marquis of Baoning: Shang Zhongxuan (Shang Kexi) Marquis of Huaishun: Geng Sheng (Geng Jingzhong)
Marquis of Xingping: Gao Yue (Gao Jie) Marquis of Linqing: Liu Tao (Liu Zeqing) Marquis of Zhongyou: Shi Yan'an (Shi Kefa)

(End of this chapter)