The soldiers of the Imperial Guard did not come from the original soldiers of the Beijing Camp Guards, but were recruited from the people in Hebei by Qi Jiguang. Since the Imperial Guard was not established for a long time and had not experienced many wars, these private soldiers were temporarily recruited.
It is obviously difficult to grow into a general after a while, so the sources of generals for the Guards are more complicated.
In general, there are three sources of generals and mid-level officers of the Guards.
The first part is the direct lineage of Qi Jiguang. Among them, the only real "veteran" is Wu Weizhong, and the rest are all middle-level generals. In the Imperial Guard system, most of them are officers at the company, platoon, and shed levels, and there are several battalions.
Grade officer.
This arrangement was made by Qi Jiguang after asking Gao Pragmatic for instructions. There are two reasons: First, the imperial guards belong to the direct lineage of the imperial court, and can even be said to be the emperor's personal army (its role is different from that of the imperial guards), and Qi Jiguang is not a noble.
The First Department obviously did not dare to arrange too many of its trusted generals in such an army, lest it would be like snow and bullets and it would not be able to bear the consequences.
Secondly, the real main force of the "Qi Family Army" has been taken away by Qi Jin and went to Liaodong to guard the border. Since the army has left, of course the generals have to follow. Except for some generals who have accumulated merit and been promoted to various parts of the country in the early years, at that time
Most of the generals who were still in the army followed Qi Jin.
As for Wu Weizhong, he was Qi Jiguang's capable general and the "old man" of the Qi family's army. Qi Jiguang always had to keep a close person by his side to handle various affairs. Otherwise, he would die from exhaustion if he could lead such a large army single-handedly?
The second part of the generals of the Imperial Guard came from the towns of Xuandasan and Jizhou, Changping, Baoding and other towns. Among them, there is no doubt that Xuandasan Town belongs to the direct lineage of Gao Jiguang; although Jizhen is not the direct lineage of Qi Jiguang,
They belong to Qi Jiguang's old subordinates; Changping, Baoding and other towns are within Gao Pragmatic's radiation range. They can be roughly regarded as collateral generals under Gao Pragmatic, or generals of the Pan-Pragmatic School - the civil servants they have taken refuge in belong to the Practical School.
As for the third part, they are naturally the sons of nobles and heroes. There is nothing you can do about it. The attributes of the Imperial Guard are here. If there is not a son of nobles and a hero, let alone the civil and military officials of the imperial court.
The official is worried, even Zhu Yijun may have a sudden attack in his heart.
These generals are not Xungui himself or his direct lineage, but are usually the second son and remaining sons, such as Zhu Yingzhen’s younger brother Zhu Yinghuai, Zhang Yuangong’s younger brother Zhang Yuande, etc. In addition, there are also famous generals from all over the country. This part is based on the generals Enyin
For example, Ma Clan, a famous direct general under Gao Pingshi, including Ma Chengxun (not Ma Chengxun), Ma Chengxuan, and Ma Chengzhao, were kicked to the Imperial Guard by Ma Gui.
The other generals, especially the direct generals of Gao Jingjing, also have such treatment. As long as the general himself is rewarded with Enyin, Gao Jingjing will help "operate" when it is convenient and let them enter the imperial guard according to Enyin's level.
Military training.
In Gao Pragmatic's view, this is the best solution under the existing system. It is not just a win-win, but even a triple win: Gao Pragmatic himself, the generals, and the court are all beneficiaries.
Moreover, rather than keeping these generals in the town hereditary, Gao Pragmatic believed that it would be better to integrate them into the Imperial Guard. This would prevent the generals from continuing to snowball in their power in this town, and also allow them to
They formed a healthy competition within the Praetorian Guard system.
Generals, you don't obey me, and I don't obey you. You said that your Tieling Li family is the best general in the world, but I, the Datong Ma family, just don't accept it. In the past, it was difficult for everyone to make gestures, but now it is more convenient - the imperial guards have quarterly training.
There is a year-by-year competition, where everyone comes out to play, whether as mules or horses, to see who leads the most powerful soldiers!
What does it mean to break stereotypes and have healthy competition? This is it.
Qi Jiguang has always said that Gao Pragmatic's method is a genius idea, but he still made a supplementary suggestion, that is, since this is done, the commander of the Imperial Guard must not choose someone with an obvious position.
Qi Jiguang himself was famous for being strict in leading troops and fair in dealing with affairs. He could ensure that he was not partial, but he was worried that the successor to the commander of the Imperial Guard arranged by Gao Pragmatic in the future would be partial, so he said this.
But in fact, he is too pragmatic to agree to this matter. Although he created the Imperial Guard, he is not the emperor. How can he guarantee who the future commanders will be? It can only be said that recommendations within his own sphere of influence are relatively more fair.
His successor. However, there is no rush on this matter for the time being. Qi Jiguang’s term has not yet ended, and he should be able to serve another term.
Not many generals of the Imperial Guard came today. Apart from Qi Jiguang himself, only Ma Chengxuan came as the representative of the generals. The noble family did not send anyone here, probably because the nobles had to pay a visit tonight.
Because of high pragmatism.
As soon as the two parties met, Qi Jiguang first raised his concerns. It turned out that he was not here for other reasons, but was worried about whether there would be changes in the current system of the Imperial Guard.
As mentioned earlier, the Ming Dynasty has been engaged in the restructuring of the Beijing camp. It has been changed many times, and it has to be pushed back again. Situations such as system rollback often occur. Qi Jiguang is worried about this. He
He was afraid that if the Imperial Guard, who had finally achieved some respectability, resigned because of his high pragmatism, and the imperial court would inexplicably "roll back the system" to its previous appearance, then all his hard work over a long period of time would be in vain.
This can still be guaranteed by Gao Pragmatism, who comforted Qi Jiguang and said: "Don't worry too much, Nantang Gong. The restructuring of Jingying is the emperor's decision. The emperor had this intention as early as Yuji, and the main department is just doing some things in it."
Just a suggestion.
The reason why the emperor did this, I think Nantang Gong must also know, is to completely eliminate the hidden dangers in northern Xinjiang. Because of this, there will never be any major changes in the Imperial Guard before Chahar is eliminated, and as long as the Imperial Guard
It performed well in the battle to destroy the residual Yuan, and the current system has enough reasons to survive.
Therefore, Duke Nantang, instead of worrying about these things now, it is better for the imperial guards to further intensify their training, reserve supplies, and strive to gain a reputation in that battle, make special achievements, and lay the foundation for eternity."
Qi Jiguang nodded, sighed softly, and laughed at himself: "What Da Sinong said is true, but it's just that I put all my efforts into it, so I can't help but feel uneasy in the end."
Gao pragmatic said a few more casual words of comfort, then turned to ask Ma Chengxuan: "Ma Biaotong, why are you here?"
Ma Chengxuan smiled bitterly and bowed, first apologizing and saying: "Excuse me, Da Sinong. I didn't intend to come to this humble position, but unfortunately my uncle sent me a letter saying that after I went to the northwest with Da Sinong, our guards from Datong fought again."
The Great Sinong Hu was so powerful that he received many meritorious awards. Many of his colleagues heard that the Imperial Guards had strict drills and hard training, and they all wanted to send their remaining sons over..."
After hearing this, Gao Pangshi thought for a moment, shook his head and said: "You know that the Imperial Guards are intact now. Even if the headquarters has not resigned, this matter will not be easy to handle for a while."
Ma Chengxuan smiled bitterly and said: "Yes, yes, of course Beizhi knew about it, but... well, Beizhi felt that his uncle was probably too troubled, so he had to ask Beizhi to come, at least not to let anyone talk about our Ma family behind his back.
gossip."
Gao is pragmatic and understandable. The Ma family has now made it clear that they are the direct descendants of Gao Gao. If the township party of the Datong guards asks the Ma family to pass the news on their behalf, the Ma family will not agree.
Isn’t it good to have a bad reputation? People today attach great importance to nostalgia. The saying that rabbits don’t eat grass beside their nests is probably true.
Gao Jingshi just nodded slightly and didn't say much. However, Ma Chengxuan was inexperienced, and Qi Jiguang, the military god of the generation, was also an official veteran, but he was an expert at observing words and emotions. He had already heard that there was something in Gao Jingshi's words just now.
Seeing that Ma Chengxuan didn't hear it, Qi Jiguang had no choice but to point it out himself, coughed slightly and said, "Forgive me, Sir, I'm a bit deaf... Did you just say that it's hard to deal with 'temporarily'?" He put "temporarily" into question.
"Time" was particularly emphasized.
Gao pragmatic pointed at him and said with a smile: "Nantang Gong, are you calling me deaf?"
Qi Jiguang just smiled and said nothing.
Gao Jingshi said helplessly: "I originally had an idea to add one more officer to each officer position in the Guards. Unfortunately, he left before he could do it. I'm afraid this matter will be delayed. It depends on when.
When you have time, mention it to the emperor and ask the new minister of Rongzheng to come to Shu..."
This sentence shocked Qi Jiguang and Ma Chengxuan at the same time. A calm man like Qi Jiguang couldn't help but open his eyes wide and asked hurriedly: "Ah, Da Sinong originally planned to double the size of the Imperial Guard?"
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "Otherwise, we will not expand the army."
Qi Jiguang was stunned and said in surprise: "If we don't expand the army, how can we have twice as many officers?"
Gao pragmatically said: How should I explain to you Germany's "One Hundred Thousand Army Plan" after World War I?
After World War I, Germany, as a defeated country, was restricted in the size of its army. The Wehrmacht was called the Wehrmacht, and the number was required to not exceed 100,000. So the then Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht von Seeckt came up with a genius plan.
The "One Hundred Thousand Army Plan" laid a solid foundation for the ultra-high quality of the German army during World War II.
Rabbenau, the author of Seckter's biography, said after the German army's victory over the British and French forces: "Without Seckter, there would be no actual staff today (referring to 1940), because this organization must go through several generations.
It can be built with hard work.
No matter how talented the officers are and how hard they work, they cannot be established overnight. Continuity of concepts is necessary to ensure leadership in the severe test of reality. Personal knowledge or ability is not enough. In war
In China, the ability of the majority developed locally is necessary. This kind of collective ability will take decades to cultivate successfully..."
As early as 1921, Seckert was secretly busy on paper designing a complete German army, and humbly defended his various activities to the Allied Affairs Control Committee.
Conscription was prohibited. Sekter regarded this small force as the core of the future German army and became a melting pot. When possible, a million-strong army would be produced from there. These 100,000 people would be the backbone of 100,000 people. Once the decision was made,
By expansion, the soldiers will become sergeants, and the sergeants will become officers.
Sekter's description of strategies, tactics and other thoughts does not have much reference value to Gao Wuzhi now, but his idea of training officers is something Gao Pragmatic attaches special importance to, but how to express it to Qi Jiguang is a bit troublesome.
Gao pragmatic had to describe it in language that Qi Jiguang could understand and had "rules to follow": "To put it simply, this plan is somewhat similar to the cabinet's official Jinshi, but of course the specific circumstances are somewhat different. The meaning of the main department is
, In addition to the official officer, each position in the Guards also has a trainee officer."
When he said this, he pointed at Ma Chengxuan and said: "For example, Ma Xietong, you are a Xietong, and now that the Imperial Guard is full, it is impossible for the headquarters to transfer you out without any reason and arrange for another one."
One person will replace you. But what if the headquarters needs to train another general at the same time?
You can set up a 'trainee commander' in addition to your co-ordinate duties. This trainee co-president is not a real military commander. The main reason for him to stay with you is to learn from you and how you train.
, how to lead troops, and how to handle various affairs in the First Alliance Army.
As for you, you also have the responsibility and obligation to take care of him, because his performance in the future will be linked to you - in other words, if he trains by your side, if he makes meritorious deeds in the future, then you will have a share of his meritorious deeds; if he
If the army is defeated, then you are also responsible for his crimes... This is what I said, do you two understand?"
Qi Jiguang said with a smile: "Da Si Nong spoke thoroughly and in simple terms. Even though I am dull, I can still understand it." Then he paused and thought about it and said: "Da Si Nong's plan is very high-level, and I think it is extremely useful.
.But there is one thing that I still want to ask more clearly."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Gao Pragmatic nodded and said: "Nantang Gong just said it doesn't matter."
Qi Jiguang said: "This trainee officer...is his actual job the same as that of the cabinet's official Jinshi, far lower than what he studied for?"
Gao pragmatic smiled and said: "Nantang Gong is worried that I will let the company commander go to train with Xietong? Of course not. The meaning of the headquarters is that, for example, if a Yin official's son originally came to the Imperial Guard, he should be given a Xietong
, but how can the Guards just come and go? They all need to go through apprenticeship first, and the apprenticeship time is not short, it takes at least two or three years.
After the apprenticeship is completed, the Imperial Guard recognizes his qualifications as an officer and can use his position as a trainee officer—for example, the official position of a trainee associate commander is associate commander—to transfer troops from other towns and armies."
"Oh..." Ma Chengxuan suddenly realized and said: "That is to say, he came to the Imperial Guard for training, and the Imperial Guard gave him the opportunity to train, but his position is not really in the Imperial Guard. He will be a trainee in the future.
Once completed, he can be transferred to other places by virtue of his seniority in the Imperial Guard."
Gao Pragmatic said calmly: "Not bad."
Ma Chengxuan hesitated to speak, Gao Pragmatic raised his eyebrows slightly: "Are you saying that I'm afraid that many people will feel that it is meaningless to come to the Guards to exercise, so they will simply stop coming?"
Ma Chengxuan was a little embarrassed, but he still didn't defend himself, which was a disguised admission.
Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "No, after completing the apprenticeship in the Imperial Guard, you will definitely be promoted when you are transferred from outside. The headquarters will definitely explain this clearly to the emperor."
Qi Jiguang's heart moved and he asked: "Ah, is this the 'military academy' that Da Sinong once told the general a few years ago?"
Gao Pragmatic laughed loudly when he heard this, nodded and said: "Although there are differences, it's roughly the same."
Qi Jiguang sighed: "It's a pity that if the chief minister is appointed as the Minister of Rongzheng... Oh, look at the old fool like this. The chief minister should be congratulated for his promotion."
Gao Pragmatic waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter. Even if I leave office, I will promote this matter. Don't worry, Mr. Nantang."
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your monthly ticket support, thank you!
PS: Yesterday, I originally planned to leave the chapter about the meeting with Qi Jiguang blank, but after thinking about it, I decided to write it down and postpone the affairs of the court for a while, leaving it to talk to the nobles.
