Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 124 Wu Xun Undercurrents, Aegis's First Might

As night fell, the entire capital was lit up with lights.

Chengguo Duke's Mansion is located in the core area of ​​the west of the city. This mansion built when the capital was established, is showing the heritage and extraordinaryness of this duke's family.

Although Cheng Guogong Zhu Yi has gone to Nanjing to serve as Nanjing's garrison, Cheng Guogong's lineage lives in the capital for generations. There are both in-laws and old minions here, so tonight is particularly lively.

Just for Wu Xun in the capital, there were as many as ten people here tonight.

The number of honorary canonizations in the Ming Dynasty seems to be quite a lot, but it has been able to continue to this day and not many, especially due to reasons such as extinction of heirs and crimes, many titles have not been able to continue.

Since Ming Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, Hongxi Dynasty granted four meritorious service (not relatives), five in Xuande Dynasty, nine in Zhengtong Dynasty, six in Jingtai Dynasty, fifteen in Tianshun Dynasty, and eight in Chenghua Dynasty. The most important is Yongle Dynasty 54.

For example, in the Battle of Jingnan, Zhu Di gathered a group of generals who were capable of conscripting and fighting. Among the 8 princes conferred by Zhu Di, Zhu Neng’s Cheng Guogong, Zhang Fu’s British Duke, Mu Sheng’s Qian Guogong, Xu Zengshou's Dingguo Duke has been passed down to this day, while Rongguo Gong Yao Guangxiao, Rongguo Gong Zhang Yu, and Jingguo Gong Chen Heng are posthumous titles, while Qi Guogong Qiu Fu led the army to the Northern Expedition to the Tatars. He was captured and killed because he underestimated the enemy and was deprived of hereditary titles.

As for the 13 marquises, Marquis Chen Gui of Taining, Marquis Zheng Heng of Wuan, Mengshan Marquis of Baoan, Xu Zhong of Marquis Yongkang, and Zhang Xin of Marquis of Longping have been hereditary till now; Marquis of Zhenyuan Gu Cheng guarded Guizhou; Qiu Fu was defeated and died in the Northern Expedition, and Wang Cong, the Marquis of Wucheng, followed Qiu Fubei in the Northern Expedition, and was defeated and died in the battle. , Zhang Wu, Marquis of Chengyang, expelled his nobility because of his heir, and Fangkuan, Marquis of Sien, was not hereditary.

Although there are more canonized earls, there are only 27 hereditary earls up to now, most of them are staying in Nanjing and other places, and less than half of the earls are in the capital.

Several important marquises such as Funing Hou Zhu Yong came to the flower hall of Cheng Guogong's mansion, and many generals with real positions came, which is undoubtedly the most powerful group of generals at present.

There are three full tables in this flower hall, but although it is very lively here, everyone's face has a trace of dignity.

Any seemingly small change is likely to touch the interests of some groups, and Zhu Youtang's road to strengthening the army is infringing on the core interests of the Wu Xun Group.

The sixth generation of Marquis of Taining is Chen Huan, who came to the throne in the eighth year of Chenghua, with a yearly salary of one thousand shi.

Although Chen Huan didn't hold a post, he was very well informed, and directly revealed to Wu Xun who was present: "I just got the news from the palace that the emperor is going to visit the Aegis Camp tomorrow!"

This news was not sent by the eunuch handing over a note, but that Zhu Youtang had to plan the route and security in advance for his tour of the battalion, so it would naturally leak out when he was in the military department of the ward.

"As far as this Marquis knows, this is the first time Your Majesty has left the capital, and you really value the Aegis Battalion!" Funing Hou Zhu Yong also said with sourness when he heard the news.

After Zhu Youtang took office, he changed Emperor Chenghua's practice of attaching great importance to honored relatives, but directly returned the military power of the Beijing camp to the inner court, and even dismissed Marquis Taining and Chen Huan from their posts.

If this is the case, the recently spent a lot of money to build the Aegis Battalion also squeezed out the Wuxun Group, and now they have to visit the Aegis Battalion in person.

"I used to be a small soldier who was directly assigned to the Aegis Battalion to serve as a hundred households. It was just nonsense!"

"What's the matter, a well-known assassin in the Fenwu camp, but now he's the vice-thousand household of the Aegis camp!"

"Hehe... the thousand households in the Shendun Camp were punished by the Marquis himself last year. How can such a morally unscrupulous person be reused?"

……

When Marquis Wu An and other Wu Xun heard about the Aegis Battalion, and especially saw the personnel changes in the Aegis Battalion, Dang even accused them angrily.

Although the personnel power of the army has long been in the hands of the civilian group, the civilian group will also refer to their ideas, but they are not completely excluded like the SHIELD Battalion.

That's why, although they didn't jump out to express their position in the court hall, they strongly opposed Emperor Hongzhi's establishment of the Aegis Camp in their hearts.

"What's the use of complaining here, let's quickly find a way to make the emperor change his mind!"

"According to my opinion, if I want to change the emperor's mind, I'm afraid I still have to make a fuss about the Aegis camp!"

"I've been agitating for wages in various battalions, but now it's really not the same as before. Many people below want to make progress!"

……

Funing Hou Zhu Yong and others are quite powerful in the Beijing camp, and now they also hope to make Zhu Youtang "change his mind", so they actively participated in the discussion.

In fact, they didn't have any deep hatred for the Aegis Battalion, but the Aegis Battalion made them feel a crisis, and even violated their core interests.

Thanks to the efforts of their ancestors, they have been standing at the top of the pyramid through hereditary methods, and they have suppressed all middle and lower-level soldiers who want to take the lead through the blood of martial arts.

It's just that Zhu Youtang's employment in the Aegis Camp will no longer focus on their origin, but on their military talents. This will undoubtedly break the pyramid model they have been trying to create with their blood.

Just like this, stopping Zhu Youtang's line of elite soldiers and strengthening him, as well as Zhu Youtang's masterpiece - the Aegis Battalion, has become the most urgent thing for the Wuxun Group.

Even in the face of a bloody emperor, but related to the core interests of their martial arts group, they decided to make stumbling blocks secretly.

After all, they have a share of the credit in this world, and Zhu Youtang cannot point out their core interests for the so-called route of elite soldiers and strong generals.

"It's not enough to just mobilize the [-]th Battalion to fight wages. We can't sit still, we have to think of a surefire plan!" Taining Hou Chenhuan still couldn't let go of his dismissal, and he seemed very radical.

Although the topic mentioned here is too sensitive, the Wu Xun Group also has its own way of forming alliances—marriage.

For example, the five daughters of Zhu Yong, the Duke of Dingguo, all married into the families of nobles or generals, and the four daughters of Zhu Yi also did the same, and the rest of the descendants followed suit.

Of course, Dingguo's mansion is not "only out but not in". For example, Zhu Yong married the daughter of the governor Wang Tong, and Zhu Yi married the daughter of Hu Wei, the former Minister of Rites.

From Ding Guogong's marriage route, it is not difficult to see that due to the frequent marriage between Wu Xun, the entire Wu Xun Group has become a community of interests.

If an accident happens to one family, many families will be involved, and everyone here will suffer greatly, so there is no need to worry too much about the secrecy here.

Funing Marquis Zhu Yong, who has been talking eloquently, noticed that Zhu Fu didn't express much opinion, so he dragged him to make a statement: "Your Majesty, the old Duke is not in the capital, you have to make an idea for us!"

When all the Wu Xun heard this, they turned their heads to look at the prince.

There are only three families in the capital, Yingying Gong, Cheng Guogong and Ding Guogong.It's just that Xu Yongshou, the Duke of Cheng, has gone crazy. Zhang Mao, the British Duke, was criticized by the Wuxun Group for being too close to the civil official group.

Although Cheng Guogong Zhu Yi is in Nanjing, his younger brother Zhu Ji is working in the imperial city, and his eldest son Zhu Fu has grown up to be the leader of Wu Xun.

Zhu Fu was a middle-aged man with a beautiful beard. He saw Wu Xun's reaction and just kept smiling without saying a word, appearing very calm.

Like many Wu Xun's children, he is not good at riding and shooting now, but after all, he has lived in the capital since he was a child, and his vision and scheming have far surpassed his peers.

Seeing that he was finally taken seriously, Zhu Fu said calmly, "I don't know if you have thought about it. Why are our martial arts so important?"

"Of course our ancestors fought against Taizu or Taizong, and we are all descendants of meritorious service!" Taining Hou Chen Huan immediately replied disapprovingly.

Funing Hou Zhu Yong and others nodded slightly, agreeing with this statement.

Facing the eyes of everyone, Zhu Fu shook his head slightly and said, "This is one of them. What's more important is that our martial arts are hereditary! Wan An has been the chief assistant for ten years, and everyone says he is an evergreen tree in the officialdom. , but the Marquis of Taining has been in power for 16 years, and there are many people present who are older than Wan An! So taking a step back, His Majesty does not use us, but we are still hereditary and irreplaceable martial arts!"

"That's what I said, but we can't wait, and you can't wait, son!" Taining Marquis Chen Huan glanced at Zhu Fu, seeming to speak with authenticity.

Hereditary succession was originally their biggest support, but the current emperor is only eighteen, and Zhu Fu is already forty without inheriting the title, and Chen Huan is already over fifty.

If they really want to age, they have no advantage at all.

Zhu Fu naturally knew this, and immediately expressed his point of view: "This son means that our martial arts are hereditary, and the generals of the Aegis Battalion can be promoted, but they can also be demoted. It's just from a long-term perspective. If we raise the salary of the [-]th Battalion this time, our life will only become more and more comfortable in the future!"

"That's right, it's true!" Taining Hou Chen Huan's eyes lit up slightly, Dang even nodded solemnly.

Although the raising of salaries is a matter for the entire army, the more the imperial court pays the soldiers, the gang of warriors located in the pyramid can get more benefits from it.

In particular, they are hereditary martial arts after all. Even if they cannot take power now, they will definitely return to the Beijing camp in the future, and then they will be able to squeeze more money from the soldiers.

Not to mention, many soldiers owed their debts now, and the current court raises the salaries of these soldiers, but it will allow these low-level soldiers to pay back their debts earlier.

Seeing that everyone listened to what he said, Zhu Fu formulated a strategy and said: "We really want to stop the Aegis Battalion, but it is also very important for the [-]th Battalion to raise their salaries. Inviting you here tonight is actually a second conspiracy. thing!"

Funing Marquis Zhu Yong and Taining Marquis Chen Huan exchanged glances, but they realized that there was an excellent politician in Cheng Guogong's mansion.

As the night deepened, the core martial arts members of Duke Cheng's mansion were whispering, and a big storm was brewing.

The next morning, the Forbidden City.

Wearing a dragon robe, Zhu Youtang came out from the main entrance of the Meridian Gate on a dragon chariot. The palace chariot was already waiting here, and the accompanying civil and military officials were behind, and the armored Imperial Forest Army exuded a murderous aura.

"Drive!"

As Liu Jin conveyed the sacred meaning, the bells and drums of the Meridian Gate Tower rang together, and the group of people headed towards Deshengmen under the escort of the Imperial Forest Army.

Since Emperor Hongzhi was traveling, the corresponding streets had already been under martial law, and there was no one in the bustling streets at this moment.

The commander of Jin Yiwei, Zhu Ji, did not dare to neglect, and had already mobilized his Jin Yiwei to act as spies in the capital, and he himself chose to accompany him along the way.

This was the first time Zhu Youtang had left Beijing since he took the throne, and he couldn't help feeling a little excited.

The team left Deshengmen smoothly. In front of them was an official road heading north, and on both sides of the official road were fields, lakes and mountains. Many working people could see the most luxurious royal guard of honor in the world from afar.

The flag fluttered under the rising sun at the end of the first month, shining brightly.

At the front are twelve dragon flags to clear the way. Twelve school lieutenants wearing military armor are holding the flags. A, followed by door flags, sun flags, moon flags, 64 flags such as green dragon, white tiger, wind, cloud, thunder, rain, river, river, Huai, and Ji, wood, fire, earth, gold, water five-star flags, five mountains Flags, Suzaku, Xuanwu, Xiong and other flags and 28 flags, each type of flag uses five armored soldiers, one person holds the flag, and four hold the bow and crossbow.

Then came the Zhuang Festival, the Ring Festival, the Golden Festival, the Candle Cage, the Green Dragon and White Tiger Building, Banjian, My Stick, Ligua, Wogua, Yidao, Stirrup Stick, Halberd, Guduo, Suzaku Xuanwu Building and so on.

Jinyiwei is the guard of this guard of honor. Zhu Ji, the commander of Jinyiwei, leads 8000 people in person to guard the golden carriage in the center.

Zhu Youtang chose the golden ren among the five ren, but was accompanied and served by the palace ladies Jin Ling and Niu Mengmeng, who looked straight ahead and exuded a bit of the emperor's demeanor.

Although he will not be an Emperor Wu who leads a large army to conquer himself, but he also wants to be a true emperor who makes all the people prostrate wherever he goes, so no one can stop him from leading Ming Dynasty on the road of a strong army with elite troops.

The camp of the Shield Battalion is ten miles away from the city of Beijing. Following the garrison principle of "strong troops stationed outside and weak troops stationed inside", a new type of military camp has been built.

Under the gate stood soldiers in mighty armor, with their hands on the hilts of their knives, and Qian Yi, the admiral of the [-]th Battalion, had been waiting here for a long time.

Zhu Youtang participated in the design of this new camp. The biggest feature is that the school field here is very large, and a viewing platform is built on the east side, which is very similar to the single-sided court of later generations.

what?
Li Si, Shangshu of the Ministry of Household, Jia Jun, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and He Cong, the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, were worried, so they also chose to accompany their entourage to the viewing platform, but a look of shock soon appeared on their faces.

This heavy cavalry was wearing a uniform red military uniform, and they carried the "Aegis" flag in their hands, appearing neatly from the school field like a gust of wind.

"Long live my emperor!" Zhang Yong, the commander of the Shield Battalion, led a thousand heavy cavalry to the viewing platform, immediately led all the soldiers to get off their horses, and saluted Zhu Youtang.

(End of this chapter)