I'm really not the carpenter emperor

Chapter 3 and Four: Zhu Xieyuan, Supervisor of the Ming Dynasty

Sichuan, Chongqing.

Whenever I get busy, I feel that time flies.

It has been more than a year since Zhu Youxiao personally conquered the Southwest, and the rapid stability of the Southwest border has also freed up the hands and feet of the Central Plains officers and troops.

After the division of the army, the officers and soldiers of all ministries also withdrew from Sichuan one after another, and returned to their own provinces. Those who should provide disaster relief, and those who should suppress bandits, were extremely busy.

Sichuan Fuzhi is located in Chongqing. Zhu Xieyuan is standing in the empty courtyard of the governor's office, speaking to a group of more than [-] scholars who have just arrived here.

He looked at these young people in front of him, and felt a little relieved in his heart. These young people in front of him were all qualified to be officials, or they were born in Juren or Jinshi.

They came to the Southwest to give lectures because of the imperial court's policy of "giving lectures in the Southwest for two years and giving priority to selection to fill in the vacancies". This enlightened policy has greatly promoted the process of Tusi's education in the Southwest.

After the Great Victory in the Southwest, the imperial court paid special attention to the sociology of the Southwest.

In addition to vigorously developing land reform and confiscating the land of local chieftains such as Shejia who rebelled, the imperial court also allocated part of the funds to the southwest to set up social schools and private schools in various places.

A large number of scholars were attracted to Sichuan by the policy, and taught the local chieftains to learn the language and culture of the Han family. Up to now, it has indeed achieved some results.

At least, in the Southwest since the war, the conflicts between the Han people and the Tusi people have become less and less, and it is rare for the local guards to fight with the Tusi army without saying a word.

In the first year of Tianqi, the Pingshe clan rebelled. The imperial court gathered more than [-] soldiers from the five provinces of the Central Plains to enter Sichuan. Even Emperor Tianqi led the Yongwei Battalion to march in person.

At that time, the official army in Sichuan was divided into half and half by local and Han soldiers.

However, the Southwest War was not all smooth sailing. The local soldiers generally obeyed the imperial edicts, were arrogant and rude, and refused to do their best.

Governors from all over the country often took care of the overall situation of rebellion and did not dare to deal with it excessively. Whenever the chieftain soldiers made noise, they would comfort Jinbo and drive the chieftain soldiers to serve.

As for the official army entering Sichuan, from the Baigan army to the local guard army, the combat effectiveness is uneven, and the equipment and weapons are old and new.

For example, Xu Chengming, the governor of the capital, was bound by his own opinions, and could not follow orders when advancing and retreating, which delayed the opportunity of the war and made the rebellion of the She clan linger.

After Zhu Youxiao pacified Sichuan, he changed the local policies of the southwestern provinces towards the chieftains after the imperial driving class, and Zhu Xieyuan was also promoted to the governor of Sichuan due to his military exploits.

At that time, Zhu Xieyuan believed that after the imperial army withdrew, there were actually no bandits in Sichuan, so he set his sights on educating the chieftain and stabilizing the local people.

In fact, the restoration of Yongningwei by the She clan in the first year of Tianqi enabled Daming to expand thousands of miles, and put the area of ​​Yongningwei, which had only been ruled in name, back under the powerful rule of the Tianqi court.

After Zhu Xieyuan took office as the governor of Sichuan, he also displayed his outstanding military and political talents, and changed his predecessor Xu Keqiu's hostile attitude towards the chieftain.

The richest land of the former chieftain of the She clan was brought under the jurisdiction of Yongningwei, the imperial court, and was directly stationed by the officers and soldiers.

In Sichuan, there are several big chieftains besides Sheshi.

Zhu Xieyuan took advantage of the remnants of the suppression of the rebellion to divide the lands of these several big chieftains, and distributed them to some meritorious small chieftain generals with the rewards of military exploits, and ordered them to donate to the government every month. Will".

The selection of garrison generals often requires those who really serve the imperial court in the fight against rebellion. The garrison generals and their troops are also directly subordinate to the local state capital.

Zhu Xieyuan's Sichuan garrison general system can actually gradually transform those generals of the chieftain army into generals directly under the imperial court, effectively dividing the power of the chieftains in Sichuan.

Not long ago, Zhu Xieyuan made a statement to the imperial court, suggesting that the military preparation and moral administration of Syria be moved to Yongning Weicheng, and be stationed together with Guizhou generals.

After careful consideration by Zhu Youxiao, he decided to implement it.

For nearly two years, Zhu Xieyuan had divided several large chieftains in Sichuan into several small chieftains, and gave the fertile land to the small chieftains loyal to the imperial court, setting them up as garrison generals.

The restless local chieftains were gradually "reformed and returned to the local people", marginalized and weakened, and the loyal generals became the main force of the chieftain army, thus completely eliminating the threat of Sichuan local chieftains.

Since then, the middle of Shu has been stable.

As for An Bangyan in Guizhou who gradually disappeared after the She family was put down, that was another person Zhu Xieyuan was deeply wary of.

I only hope that Wang Sanshan, the governor of Guizhou, can appease An Bangyan, and prevent him from jumping over the wall and provoking war again, otherwise his life will be ruined.

……

"Educate the people of the chieftain, please!"

Under the shocked eyes of all the students, Zhu Xieyuan bent down and bowed deeply to them.

Zhu Sheng had already heard of the great name of the governor of Sichuan, who stabilized Sichuan and negotiated extravagance and chaos. Many people chose Sichuan because of Zhu Xieyuan.

Seeing this, no matter what purpose they came for before they came, they all respectfully returned the salute, and said in unison: "We will live up to the high expectations of Futai and educate the local people, which is also a great pleasure in our life!"

After finishing speaking, there was a sound of hooves outside the door.

But it was Wang Cheng'en who came flying from Nanjing, led a group of Tiqi and hurried in. Before the people arrived, the voice came.

"Sichuan governor Zhu Xieyuan received the order!"

Everyone left a passage for the eunuch and Tiqi who announced the decree, and they were all whispering, could it be that something big happened to the court.

They are all lecturers who came to Sichuan from various places, and they haven't inquired about any major national affairs for several months.

Generally speaking, it only needs someone from the Supervisor of Ceremonies to deliver the decree, but this time the person who came here is wearing a red brocade suit, so it is obvious that he has some status in the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

Zhu Xieyuan also noticed this, and stood still waiting for the announcement.

Wang Chengen hurriedly came to Zhu Xieyuan's side, waited for the Jinyi guards on the left and right to stand in line, and all the students and governor's yamen officials were all prostrate on the ground, then took out the bright yellow scroll, spread it in the air, and said loudly:

"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

Zhu Xieyuan, the governor of Sichuan, made great contributions to pacifying the southwest and stabilizing Sichuan.

He was ordered to read the army at the Daying Camp in the suburbs of Beijing, and to leave the customs at an optional time.On the day the decree arrives, go to Beijing immediately without any mistakes. "

Zhu Xieyuan didn't accept the order and just stood there in a daze.

The governor of a place is already a big official of the imperial court, with a lot of power, but today this imperial decree came down, and he became the first "supervisor" of the Tianqi court.

Zhu Xieyuan never thought that he would be a supervisor one day.

The so-called supervisor is the largest local official under the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He has the right to make decisions about local military and government affairs, but he is not a fixed position.

This position cannot be given casually. Whether the supervisor is correct or not will not only determine the direction of the entire war situation, but also have a greater impact on local military and government affairs.

According to Zhu Xieyuan's knowledge, the supervisor is usually established temporarily when the court needs large-scale military use. According to the imperial decree, he will lead the Nine Frontier Army Town and the Jifu army out of the customs.

But he is still at a loss, why go out?

I live in the southwest and I am busy with government affairs, but I haven't paid attention to the current national affairs for a while. I will receive the imperial edict later, so I have to make up for it.

As soon as he thought of this, Hou Liangzhu, the commander-in-chief of Sichuan, walked into the governor's yamen wearing armor, and saw Wang Chengen proclaiming the decree, and hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground.

Chapter 3 and five go to Beijing

"Lord Governor...?"

Wang Chengen whispered a reminder.

Zhu Xieyuan reacted, prostrating and prostrating:

"Minister Zhu Xieyuan, take the decree and thank you!"

After handing over the imperial decree to Zhu Xieyuan, Wang Chengen finally let go of his breath, and he was about to leave directly with Tiqi regardless of his retention.

"My father-in-law stay behind—!"

Zhu Xieyuan summoned Wang Cheng'en, and went with him to the place where the horses were bound outside the governor's office. Seeing that it still took time for the Tiqi to tidy up their mounts, he hesitated again and again, and asked:

"My father-in-law is in a hurry, did something important happen in the court?"

Wang Chengen nodded first, then sighed, and said:

"It's true that something big happened in the court..."

The two chatted for a while, and Wang Chengen also knew that the person in front of him was the emperor's favorite candidate for a supervisor, so he talked about the recent affairs of the court in detail.

After listening, Zhu Xieyuan also looked worried. He felt in his heart that the emperor sent a large army to the north to join the war during the Nanjing reform. This was not only a second move, but also a dangerous move.

The abolishment of the Nanjing Ministry of Civil Affairs has aroused strong opposition and sensation among the ruling and opposition parties. At this time, the announcement of the call to send a large army to the north to participate in the war can well shift the focus of the people's attention to the war.

But at the same time, mutinies are very likely to be stirred up in various places in the south of the Yangtze River, and Daming will be in a situation where the enemy will be attacked from both sides. If one is not careful, the whole game will be lost!

Thinking about it, Emperor Tianqi ordered the Yongwei Battalion to stay in Nanjing to prevent the occurrence of mutiny.

The Dutch in Penghu are still stubbornly resisting, and the troops besieging the Dutch are still unable to withdraw. At this time, if the north and the south fight together.

Can Daming survive such military expenditure...?

Zhu Xieyuan bid farewell to Wang Chengen, and watched a group of Tiqi leave, his eyes seemed a little empty.

Since the Wanli period to the present, the imperial court has launched three major conquests, and the military expenditure is so huge that it is impossible to estimate. Two years ago, the Southwest was in chaos, and the officials and troops from the five provinces of the Central Plains were mobilized to fight a big battle.

Although the Ming Dynasty had won all these four wars, what followed was a deficit in the national treasury, and the government's finances were unable to make ends meet.

Although, since Emperor Tianqi succeeded to the throne, he first seized a large number of corrupt officials and powerful assets, and then increased tariffs and abolished the Nanjing Ministry.

The new emperor's various policies and means have greatly eased the financial situation that was on the verge of bankruptcy since the end of Wanli, and even made up for the military salary owed by the Nine Frontier Army Town within two years of Tianqi.

The Ministry of War also reported that the Nine Frontiers completed more than half of their armor and ordnance replacements in the second year of Tianqi, and their combat effectiveness has been greatly improved.

This is developing in a good direction. Zhu Xieyuan can say without hesitation that the Ming Dynasty is now on the road of rejuvenation and prosperity.

But this war came too suddenly. Only two years after the Battle of the Southwest, it was not enough for the court to ease the huge military expenditure it brought.

Mobilizing such a large-scale force at this time and launching a war comparable to the Battle of Sarhu is equivalent to advancing the fiscal revenue of Tianqi three years in advance to fight the war.

Once this war fails, the situation that Daming will be in will be beyond embarrassment. At that time, the world may be in chaos.

Thinking about it in another direction, once this war is won, Daming will sweep away the decline and once again take the initiative in Liaodong.

Zhu Xieyuan never expected that the emperor would hand over such a heavy burden to his shoulders without the slightest warning. This was a gamble on the fate of the Ming Dynasty for decades to come!

Thinking of this, hot sweat grew on his forehead.

Seeing this, Hou Liangzhu, the general of the Sichuan Army, seemed very puzzled.

In his impression, the governor of Sichuan has been calm since the beginning of the negotiations in the Southwest, and there are very few things that make him nervous.

Hou Liangzhu took the imperial decree on the table and looked at it. After reading two lines, he had already guessed the whole content in his heart, and he also took a deep breath.

In fact, he, the commander-in-chief, knows about today's major events in the court.

"Houjin sent troops to besiege Shenyang, and the intention was to attack Fuyu's tribe. This guess of the Liaodong Economic Strategy is really bold."

After he finished speaking, he was also paying attention to Zhu Xieyuan's expression.

The latter came back to his senses, sighed and said:

"Xiong Tingbi Yu Liao, in his position, should see all directions with his eyes and listen to all directions. The old slave is trapped in Shenyang at this time, and he can't keep it. Why did he come?"

Hou Liangzhu was a little surprised.

"Then Liaodong Jinglu guessed the meaning of Yifutai right?"

Zhu Xieyuan nodded and said: "Once the Fuyu Department is defeated by the old slaves, the line from Guangning to Songjin will be exposed to Houjin's sight."

"At that time, the imperial court not only had to stick to Liaoshen, but also had to renovate many fortresses along the Guangning and Songjin lines."

"I'm afraid that Yuan Chonghuan's pine brocade defense strategy will not work if it is not used."

Hou Liangzhu's eyes became serious, he walked to the edge of the map, and said in a deep voice:

"The pine-brocade defense line, all the castles along the border need to be repaired, and an additional 12 Liao troops will be recruited. Yuan Chonghuan can really mention this. It's really nonsense!"

"Futai... Supervisor——!"

"You must win this battle, otherwise the situation in Liaodong will be beyond control!"

After finishing speaking, he looked at Zhu Xieyuan with shining eyes.

Zhu Xieyuan is only a literati, but since the Battle of the Southwest, he has always acted decisively and sternly, regardless of whether he led the army in battle or the local military administration.

Many Sichuan generals, including Hou Liangzhu, worshiped him.

Zhu Xieyuan was silent for a moment, then stood up suddenly, and said:

"I want to leave immediately, go to the camp on the outskirts of Beijing, and meet the commanders of the border towns there."

……

That night, outside the Governor's Yamen.

Zhu Xieyuan put on his armor and was full of heroism. He turned around and looked at the governor's office in Sichuan where he had been waiting for a long time. He sighed and was about to mount his horse and go to Beijing.

At this time, Hou Liangzhu led the generals to turn around from the corner of the street, forced a smile and said:

"Let everyone send Futai to you. It's been almost two years, and the brothers are reluctant to part with you..."

Zhu Xieyuan originally wanted to leave alone in the middle of the night to avoid the sadness of parting, but seeing this group of rough-looking generals, he had no choice but to do so.

He handed the reins to Hou Liangzhu and said: