Please call me the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty

night.

The Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian sat at his desk, reviewing memorials.

Wang Chengen stood by.

Zhu Youjian discovered that he could never finish reviewing all the memorials; there were piles of them every day.

This made him realize that being an emperor wasn't so easy after all.

Why did so many emperors in history die at a very young age?

One of the main reasons was that it was too arduous; if one wanted to finish reviewing all the memorials, it would usually be late at night.

The next morning, before dawn, they had to attend the morning court session, leaving no time to rest.

If you don't attend court for a while, you'll be scolded by all the civil and military officials. So, tell me, should you attend court or not?

Attending court is physically exhausting, but not attending court will bring a bad reputation.

Zhu Youjian put down the memorial in his hand, looked up at Wang Chengen, and said, "Tell me, how does our Ming Dynasty's Imperial Guard compare to those in history?"

Wang Chengen replied humbly, "Your Majesty, this old servant would not dare to presume to teach you such a thing."

Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "You don't need to be so modest. Just say whatever comes to mind."

"Alright, then this old servant will say a few words."

Historically, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there were Imperial Guards who guarded the palace and were directly under the command of Emperor Wu.

The Imperial Guard played a crucial role, especially during the witchcraft scare.

In the early Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident in order to seize the position of crown prince, killing Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Qi, Li Yuanji.

At that time, Chang He led the Imperial Guards to participate in the matter. Without the help of the Imperial Guards, it would have been almost impossible for Li Shimin to succeed in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

During the Later Zhou Dynasty, the Imperial Guards became even larger.

When Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, was alive, he firmly held military power in his own hands.

Unexpectedly, Chai Rong died young, while Zhao Kuangyin, who controlled the Imperial Guards, launched a coup at Chenqiao, ousted Chai Zongxun from power, and ascended the throne himself, becoming the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty.

The Imperial Guard of this dynasty was mainly composed of the Five Armies Battalion, the Three Thousand Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion, all of which were very powerful at the beginning.

However, there was a turning point after the Tumu Crisis. The Imperial Guards became corrupt and decadent, and never recovered, losing their former fighting strength.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's eyes gleamed with resentment: "Why did this happen?"

"In this old servant's opinion, it may be related to the court's system, which has become increasingly lax."

In addition, it is related to the emperor.

The emperor valued the Imperial Guards, and the Imperial Guards were therefore more powerful in combat.

If the emperor doesn't value the imperial guards, their fighting strength will naturally decline.

Zhu Youjian stood up, pacing back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back: "So, tell me, how is the combat effectiveness of our Imperial Guards now?"

"To be honest, because your elder brother Zhu Youxiao was so fond of carpentry that he neglected everything else, the Imperial Guards gradually fell into Wei Zhongxian's hands."

Their combat effectiveness is clearly not as good as before.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly: "Wang Jiayan suggested that I take control of the Three Thousand Battalions myself. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, this is a matter of great national importance, and it is inconvenient for this old servant to offer any opinion," Wang Chengen declined.

"I told you to speak, so just speak."

Wang Chengen pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty, if Your Majesty wants to revive the Ming Dynasty, it is indeed necessary to take control of the Imperial Guards. To control military power, one must first control the Imperial Guards."

"A ruler who cannot control the military cannot last long."