In the Ming Dynasty, there were also divisions between noble titles and noble titles, which were determined by military achievements.
The title of Spylord can be inherited by the eldest son and grandson from generation to generation. However, after the death of the hero who is granted the title of Shige, it cannot be hereditary, and the descendants can only hereditary high-ranking military officers.
Moreover, the biggest difference between the titles of the Ming Dynasty and those of the previous dynasties is that the title no longer has a specific fiefdom, but only the title and lumi, which to a certain extent eliminates the possibility of princes with different surnames starting armies and plotting rebellion.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, very few military generals were granted titles, and those granted posthumously did not count.
And because of Chongzhen's stinginess, he would naturally not be granted the title of World Lord, and Mao Wenlong's Pingxihou would last forever.
Even so, Chongzhen still felt that he had shown great kindness to his ministers.
After dictating the decree, the palace servants handed it over to the cabinet for counter-signature. Chongzhen sat back on the throne, drank tea, and said slowly: "Guo Dajing requested that special docks be set up in Qinhuangdao and Tianjin, and I agree."
Wang Chengen agreed, thinking that this was not a big deal. After this cross-sea visit, Chongzhen and many ministers believed that it might be possible to rely on the Dongjiang Army in the future.
Although Jianlu suffered heavy losses, the possibility of entering the Pass via another detour still existed.
The Mongolian tribes must also be on guard against the tigers and rabbits. They will not stop outside Xuanda. Of course, this is related to the fact that Chongzhen stopped the market reward.
The emperor guards the gate of the country, and the king dies in the country. Many supporters believe that this is the last backbone of the Ming Dynasty. They would rather die standing than live on their knees.
Others include not making peace with each other, not paying indemnities, not ceding territory, and not paying tribute, all of which are known as the strong and unyielding advantages of the Ming Dynasty.
But from another perspective, it is not an exaggeration to say that the emperor is the guardian of the country. In fact, this is also one of the disadvantages of having Beijing as the capital.
Relying on the Great Wall in the north as a line of defense is more economical and practical, but it lacks strategic depth. Before Jianlu invaded, the Tumu Fort Incident and Anda's invasion had all posed threats to the capital.
Moreover, because Beijing was the capital of the Ming Dynasty, a large number of troops had to gather and shrink to the capital, which also weakened the strength of border defense.
The capital is in danger and the emperor is frightened. This is the biggest thing.
Huang Taiji saw this and led his troops to take a detour into the pass and march directly to the capital. As a result, the garrison troops in various places and the various Qinwang troops could only move closer to the capital as quickly as possible, and the overall defense fell into passivity.
From this aspect, Chongzhen still criticized the Dongjiang Army's actions and felt a little unhappy. Although Mao Wenlong and Guo Dajing made up the reasons, Chongzhen and the ministers just saw through it but did not tell them.
You must know that although the actions of the Dongjiang Army are correct from a strategic and tactical point of view, the world is huge and political correctness is the most important.
Only coming to Qinwang at all costs is a sign of loyalty. As for whether it is the most advantageous and whether you can win, it is secondary.
The generals also thought clearly that even if they were defeated by the enemy because of this, it would be better than having the emperor settle accounts later.
It was precisely because Chongzhen had a grudge that he did not issue an order to declare Guo Dajing to Beijing. At the same time, Chongzhen was also on guard against the Dongjiang Army.
The behavior of Yuan Chonghuan and Guan Ningjun sounded the alarm for Chongzhen. After this major change, the imperial court's binding force on the army in the outer town has shown signs of weakness.
The Guan Ning Army has become like a warlord who only listens to propaganda but not the instructions. How can the Dongjiang Army be any better? In the past, the Dongjiang Army was more independent than the Guan Ning Army.
However, the Dongjiang Army led by Guo Dajing fought bloody battles, which saved the face of Chongzhen and the imperial court, and restored the decadent morale of the people, allowing Chongzhen to temporarily put aside his entanglements.
"Refugees went to Liaodong. I thought it was good governance. I asked the cabinet to discuss it and draw up regulations, which were then implemented by officials from various places. In addition, Zhundongjiang Town formulated policies to benefit the people to attract people."
Chongzhen put down the tea bowl and leaned comfortably into the dragon chair. He finally finished handling many matters and felt very relaxed.
At this time, someone from the palace entered the palace, holding the memorials and inscriptions of the ministers.
"It's rare for me to have leisure time!" Chongzhen sighed and stretched out his hand to hand over these memorials and title books.
Wang Chengen opened his mouth and sighed in his heart, but still did not say anything to advise.
The emperor's diligence has become a habit. At first, he even gave some tactful advice, but it made Chongzhen unhappy.
Chongzhen looked through it casually, then picked up the memorial of Bi Ziyan, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and read it.
Looking at the numbers calculated above, Chongzhen fell into deep thought and nodded slightly after a long while.
Cao Huachun rushed to the capital not only the good news, but also the contents of his conversation with Guo Dajing.
For example, by withdrawing defenses from the Daling River in Jinzhou and only guarding Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan, the men and horses saved would strengthen the defense of Ji Town, and the money and food saved would be tilted toward the Dongjiang Army.
After watching it, Chongzhen felt that it made sense. The key was that Guan Ningjun's performance disappointed him.
What is more important is money and food. If you can save it, save it. In this regard, Chongzhen is a must.
The number of troops stationed in Shanhaiguan, Ningyuan, Jinzhou and other places has reached 110,000. If Jinzhou is withdrawn, 30,000 troops will be left in Ningyuan and 40,000 troops will be left in Shanhaiguan, and 40,000 troops will be available to enrich Jizhen.
After the war, the garrison strength of Jizhen was very dilapidated. Recruitment and expansion would be a big expense.
According to Guo Dajing's idea, it saved the court a lot of money and food. Chongzhen also valued this and was very interested.
Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Household Affairs, also followed the emperor's order and recalculated. When Chongzhen saw that he could save more than one million taels, his eyes could not help but shine.
Guan Ning's army relies entirely on food and salary from within the customs. Fortunately, Ningyuan has Juehua Island nearby, which can be transported by sea. Jinzhou and Daling River must rely on land transportation, which is quite expensive.
By reducing the number of troops outside the customs and implementing a two-pronged approach of shrinking defenses, Liao Town's food and salary can be saved by more than half.
Since Yuan Chonghuan took office, Chongzhen has given his full support. Liao Town's food and salary suddenly increased to more than two million taels, almost doubling.
However, by increasing taxes and sparingly supplying Liao Town, all they achieved was to occupy Jinzhou, which no one wanted, and a large amount of money was spent on repairing and repairing the garrison. It can be said that the gain outweighs the loss.
After Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned, Chongzhen's thinking changed 180 degrees. In the past, Yuan Chonghuan's boasted tactics of advancing the fortress and pacifying Liao and exterminating the captives, in Chongzhen's view, were another lie to deceive him.
"Shen Yongmao, Minister of the Ministry of Propaganda and War, meets with Mao Jin." Chongzhen had already made up his mind and raised his head to give instructions to the palace officials.
Yuan Chonghuan stepped down, Wang Qia, the former Minister of War, was imprisoned, and Shen Yongmao, who was known as a talented man, became his successor.
Chongzhen knew that dividing Liao Town was not an easy and simple matter, so he needed to consult the Ministry of War to formulate practical methods.
After ordering the palace servants, Chongzhen picked up Wen Tiren's memorial again. He frowned as he looked at it, with a slightly angry look on his face.
When Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned, Wen Tiren was the one who criticized the most for impeachment. He not only targeted Yuan Chonghuan, but also expanded the scope of his attack, targeting Qian Longxi, a cabinet minister who had strongly recommended Yuan Chonghuan.
"Long Xi advocated that Chong Huan advocate for the money proposal, and believed in the theory of five years of success. There is no such thing as betraying the country and bullying the emperor. Long Xi used Chong Huan's bribe of tens of thousands, forwarded it to his in-laws, and cleverly worked as a camp official.
As a result, the laws of the country are not upheld..."
The words were like knives, engraved on Chongzhen's heart. He closed the memorial with a snap, with anger shooting out of his eyes.
"Qian Longxi deserves to be killed for having an affair with a border official and failing to do anything about it!" Chongzhen gritted his teeth and finally couldn't hold back the anger in his heart.
For interrogation, Yuan Chonghuan must be confessed as soon as possible."
Emperor Chongzhen did not trust his ministers, and liked to monopolize power and act arbitrarily. But when something went wrong, he did not have the spirit to take responsibility, and all mistakes were made by his ministers.
At this time, he hated Yuan Chonghuan and hated the supporters who supported Yuan Chonghuan.
But he had forgotten who believed in the big words of "Five Years of Ping Liao" and granted Yuan Chonghuan full power, increased taxes, cut troops and saved money, forcing the people to revolt and leaving the Ming army in the interior without fighting spirit.
He had neither the wisdom to recognize people nor the capacity to employ them, nor the capacity to tolerate others. But Chongzhen insisted on working hard to govern, and his idol turned out to be Taizu Zhu Baba.
And he also learned Zhu Baba's style of "working diligently without slacking off". As far as diligence is concerned, Chongzhen did an excellent job. There were few emperors in the past who could compare with him.
But his own shortcomings made his diligence become a nightmare for the Ming Dynasty. The more he took control, the more chaotic things became, and the more difficult the Ming Dynasty was to decline.
It can only be said that if you are on the wrong path, the harder you push forward, the further away you will be from your goal; if there is a problem with your thinking, the more diligent you are, the more outrageous your mistakes will be.
In terms of small things, such as being frugal and not showing off, Chongzhen seemed to be a good emperor. In order to save money, he even withdrew the weaving industry from Suzhou and Hangzhou on the grounds that "I cannot bear to embarrass the people of this area with the work of embroidering clothes and quilts."
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But in terms of political affairs, Chongzhen was a tyrant who completely ignored the suffering of the people and treated them as nothing more than grass and grass. He imposed lax pay, suppressed pay, practiced pay... His tyranny was as fierce as a tiger, forcing countless people to rebel just for a piece of food.
On the surface, they talk about being considerate of the people, but in fact they are crazy about collecting taxes, and even use tax collection as an indicator for evaluating officials, so that officials can only do everything possible to urge tax collection. As a result, "the people are destitute and start stealing."
Chongzhen was extremely harsh not only on the people, but also on the ministers. In this regard, he was very much like Zhu Baba, who was suspicious by nature and would kill people at every turn!
"If a defeated party kills a general, if a city conquers a city, kill an official." Chongzhen never considered whether it was his own problem, let alone whether he should kill him or not.
The invasion of Jianqi into the imperial capital obviously stimulated Chongzhen. His indiscriminate killing nature was finally exposed.
Historically, after the Jisi Incident, Wang Qia, the Minister of War, Zhang Fengxiang, the Minister of Industry, Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, and Liu Ce, the prime minister of Jiliao military affairs, died or were imprisoned.
The second assistant, Qian Longxi, was also implicated in the Yuan case and sentenced to death. Only after some ministers tried their best to plead with Chongzhen, was he exempted from the death penalty.
Cabinet scholars Han Xu, Cheng Jiming, Li Biao, etc. also resigned as a result, and were replaced by Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren, etc. in the cabinet, and the six ministries and nine ministers were also changed accordingly.
Chongzhen ordered Nanzhen Fusi to interrogate quickly in order to obtain Yuan Chonghuan's confession. This also meant the formation of a political storm and a major change in the forces of all parties in the court.
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Guo Dajing didn't care about the strife and purges in the court, and it was useless to care.
With the help of this extraordinary achievement, he won the attention of the government and the public in Dongjiang Town, and had the opportunity to change his treatment. At the same time, Jianlu suffered a heavy blow, and the changes in the situation in Liaodong were what he was most concerned about.
In fact, Guo Dajing didn't care much about what kind of reward Chongzhen would receive.
"Is there a problem with two generals in one town?" Liu Xingzuo and Guo Dajing walked side by side, frowning slightly and worrying about Guo Dajing, "If the imperial court feels that it is illegal, it will wrong you."
The generals of the Ming Dynasty were senior generals, equivalent to today's theater commanders, and were at the Zhengda military district level and general level.
However, the same general soldiers have different powers, and the number of troops they command is also different. Liu Xingzuo's two general soldiers in one town is not actually a problem.
For example, in Liao Town, there are Ningyuan General Soldiers, former Tun Guard General Soldiers, Shanhaiguan General Soldiers, etc. Of course, the superiors of these General Soldiers are the governor of Liaodong, or civilian commanders such as the Superintendent and the General.
Moreover, there are two types of general military officers: ordinary ones and those with official seals. Mao Wenlong wore the seal of the general general of Liao Dynasty and was given a sword by Shang Fang, just like a high official in the border area.
Regarding Liu Xingzuo's worries, Guo Dajing just smiled indifferently and said: "Is it possible that someone is still a deputy general and someone doesn't listen to orders?"
"That's not true." Liu Xingzuo shook his head and said, "But the higher the official position, the more convenient and justifiable it is."
Guo Dajing pondered and said: "Shuai Mao is the commander-in-chief of Dongjiang Town, so it is also possible for Guo to take up the post of commander-in-chief of Lushun or Jinzhou."
Liu Xingzuo thought for a moment, smiled, and said: "Only if you are promoted to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, can we follow suit. We are all meritorious soldiers, and we don't want to miss this opportunity."
Guo Dajing glanced at Liu Xingzuo and joked with a smile: "So, someone is suppressing you so that the court cannot reward you based on your merits?"
"The imperial court rewards based on merit..." Liu Xingzhi curled his lips and stopped talking, but his dissatisfaction was revealed.
"There must be some this time." Guo Dajing shook his riding whip and said slowly: "After this war, both the emperor and the ministers should be able to see that if we want to pacify Liao and eliminate the captives, we can only rely on our Dongjiang Army.
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Liu Xingzuo nodded and said: "Despite this, the imperial court will still be wary of generals and the remote Dongjiang Town overseas."
Because Dongjiang Town does not have civilian control, it should be regarded as a military town outside the system, which is different from Guan Ningjun.
Judging from the tradition of the civilian group despising military commanders, it is indeed difficult for Dongjiang Town to receive strong support from the civilian group.
But the situation is stronger than the people. Even if Chongzhen pinches his nose, he still has to express his extraordinary achievements to the Dongjiang Army. The future tilt of resources can also be expected.
After all, pacifying the Liao Dynasty and exterminating the captives was a top priority. The imperial court was already overwhelmed by the huge supply of wages, and Chongzhen was so short of money that his eyes glowed green.
What's more, the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty can be described as internal and external troubles, and it is inevitable that there will be a process of decentralization of the power of military commanders.
Therefore, after the rise of the army, someone said to the emperor: "Today, military ministers are not valued, so martial arts are not established."
In order to restore the situation, raising the power of generals was regarded as a good way to fight chaos. This is probably another extreme that Chongzhen went to. It can also be called: seeking medical treatment in a hurry.