In the Qianqing Palace, the meeting was still going on.
However, at this time, only Zhu Yunxi, Ping An, Xu Huizu, and the Minister of War, Ru Yu, were the only ones.
Zhu Yunxi walked into the Nuan Pavilion, followed by several ministers. Then he sat down on the Arhat bed and slowly stretched out his feet.
Deng Ping, the guard outside the door, came in and gently helped him pull off his boots.
"I haven't seen you alone since you returned to Beijing. How is it in Korea?" Zhu Yunxi asked Ping An.
"With the combination of kindness and power, the situation is generally stable!" Ping An thought about it, "But I am a military man. I am only responsible for guarding and training the army to quell the rebellion. As for governing the place, it is beyond my ability..."
"I understand what you mean!" Zhu Yunxi leaned on the cushion and smiled slightly, "Civil and martial arts are different, and there are some things you can't control!" As he said that, the smile on his face became a little different, "I heard that the appointment Officials in Goryeo are all corrupt, right?"
"This..." Ping An thought about it and laughed in a low voice, "I have heard a little bit about it, but as far as I know, the more local people in Goryeo become officials, the more greedy they become, bullying the people and extorting money from the rich. Do whatever it takes!”
"Huh!" Zhu Yunxi was noncommittal. At present, it seems that it will take too long to quickly integrate Goryeo into the territory of Ming Dynasty. Then we must use Goryeo to rule Goryeo and quickly support a group of spokespersons who have the same stance and interests as Ming Dynasty. come out.
But the story about Goryeo is just an introduction.
He looked at Ping An, took a sip of tea and said with a smile, "During your tenure as the general manager of Korea, did you ever have any military personnel under your command who took advantage of your free pay?"
"I don't dare!" Ping An quickly stood up, greatly frightened.
How could it not be possible? The troops stationed in Goryeo were not the guards in the interior of the Ming Dynasty. The guards relied on farming, while the soldiers and horses stationed in Goryeo relied on the money collected from Goryeo for military pay. There is something fishy about this. That's big.
Besides, the military lieutenant general is far away from his homeland. If he is too mean in terms of money, it will be difficult to lead this soldier.
"If you say you don't dare, I will believe you!" Zhu Yunxi looked at Ping An, "You and I are family members, and I believe you will not lie to me!"
Zhu Yunxi had a clear mind about the affairs in Korea, but special matters had to be handled on a special basis. Things like garrisoning troops overseas were fundamentally different from garrisoning troops domestically.
Ping An's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
"What do you think of what Duke Cao Guo said at the meeting today?" Zhu Yunxi glanced at the three of them and asked.
"Back to the emperor, there are indeed all kinds of bad habits in the army!" Ru Yu, Minister of War, said, "It has been three years since the last census of military households and military fields. It is time to conduct another detailed investigation!"
Zhu Yunxi released Timur, the imaginary enemy, in order to rectify military affairs. And the emperor wanted to rectify military affairs. Isn't this an opportunity for the Ministry of War to seize power from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion?
In the early days when the old military lords were taking control, the Ministry of War was just a decoration.
Zhu Yunxi was happy to see this kind of struggle come to fruition. In his vision, in the future, the Ministry of War will be in charge of the internal affairs, and the Governor's Palace will be in charge of the external affairs. The Ministry of War will be responsible for assessment and promotion, and army management. The Governor's Palace will be responsible for the overall strategy, and the expansion of territory. The two will restrict each other. They can also complement each other's deficiencies.
"Yes, it's time to check. It's only been a few years! There's been a riot in all the major towns in Jiubian!"
Zhu Yunxi picked up the tea bowl and covered half of his face, and continued slowly, "Although Gansu is a border town, it is also a trade gateway for tea and horse trade, with countless merchants coming and going. It stands to reason that the military attache wants money, and it is just a matter of flying geese. Mao is enough, why do we still need to take 20% of the quota now? This shows the greed of people! I know that it is not easy for generals, but if we let it go, in a few years I will not even have 80%."
As he spoke, he put down his tea bowl without waiting for the people opposite him to speak, and said in a bad tone, "This is true for border towns, but what about the mainland? Sixty percent? Fifty percent?" At this point, he suddenly snorted, "The founding of the country was only three years old.
This has been the case for more than ten years. In another twenty years, won’t it mean that the armaments are slack and there will be no more usable soldiers? In another fifty years, won’t our Ming Dynasty become a piece of paper?”
Zhu Yunxi's words were so serious that the three ministers did not dare to speak out and were frightened inside.
This kind of thing has happened in all dynasties and is difficult to prevent. Military generals are no better than civil servants and have too few ways to make money, so they can only make decisions on this.
"Safety!"
"I'm here!"
"I called you back from Goryeo to supervise the capital camp." Zhu Yunxi said calmly, "Do you know why?"
"I...are confused, please let me know from your Majesty!"
Zhu Yunxi had no expression on his face and tapped the table with his fingers, "I just want you to come back and rectify the 180,000 troops in the Beijing camp!" He said, looking at the other party quietly, "Can you take care of it?"
Ping An pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice, "My lord, do your best!"
"Okay!" Zhu Yunxi nodded, "If you can, just take good care of it, and don't let me hear about anything about cheating on free wages again!" He said, his tone was slightly softer, "You are the adopted son of Grandpa Huang, and you are with me.
We are a family, and I can trust you."
Then, he spoke again, "Xu Huizu, Ru Yu!"
"I'm here!"
"There are still two things. I will tell you again. The roster of officers and soldiers in the world, as well as the farms of the guards. The detailed names must not be wrong." Zhu Yunxi's eyes were a little warning, "Let you check,
I really want to save your dignity. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to find out, but there are many people who can!”
Xu Hui and Rujun immediately replied, "I obey the order!"
"Wen Tian's martial arts is a sign of subjugation!" Zhu Yunxi said, "The collapse of the foundation starts from such small things. Others can be in chaos, but the Ming army cannot be in chaos!"
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi arrived and was extremely tired.
Being an emperor is not an easy job. Not only is he more sensitive than others, but he also has to show dignity and maintain the majesty of a king with his ministers.
The emperor cannot be a good man, let alone accommodate others, tired!
At this moment, the guard Deng Ping came in from the outside with some hesitation and bowed to Zhu Yunxi.
"Ai Qing, have you gone back to do your errands? I hope you will take my words to heart!"
Zhu Yunxi waved his hand, and after the three people retreated, he looked at Deng Ping.
The latter whispered, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Gaoyang County has returned to Beijing!"
"A coffin with sapphire?" Zhu Yunxi picked up the tea cup.
"No!" Deng Ping didn't dare to look at Zhu Yunxi's expression and stared at the ground and whispered, "He...he cremated Lan Shuai and came back with his ashes!"
~~
"Second brother, are you seeking death?"
At the gate of the city, Zhu Gaochi greeted Zhu Gaochi, and all the fat on his body was trembling.
"You..." he pointed to the small box hanging in front of Zhu Gaoxu and said, "Did you put the blue jade in it?"
"What should we do?" Zhu Gaoxu rode forward. His body was already dirty due to the long journey, but his eyes were bright. He stopped in front of a stall selling sesame cakes, threw a few coins, and took a sesame cake with meat.
While eating, he said, "If you don't put it here, where can you put it? A jar of pickles?"
"You..." Zhu Gaochi was so angry that he couldn't even speak. "I...you are really desperate for death! The royal dynasty...you were cremated?"
"What's wrong?" Zhu Gaoxu squinted his eyes and said dissatisfied, "Boss, don't scold me as soon as you come back!" As he said that, he lowered his head and looked at the ashes hanging on his body, "How good is it like this? It's so light!"
"It's a big deal if a person dies!" Zhu Gaochi said angrily, "It's better to be buried in peace!"
"Wouldn't it be the same if the bones and dregs were buried in the ground?" Zhu Gaoxu muttered, "Huh, if the body is brought back, maggots will appear before it is buried. What will be buried then will not be Lan Shuai's body, but a group of maggots!"
"What's wrong with the bone residue? Clean it!" Zhu Gaoxu continued to hum, "Shuai Lan himself meant the same thing. He can't even bear illness, how can he bear those maggots eating him?"