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Chapter 391 Army

"After your Majesty said this, I have some insights. Every holiday, sailors will rush to Tianjin Guards and never come back until dark. Some people are often punished for missing the time.

Compared with a few years ago, there are indeed many more stores in Tianjin Wei, and many wastelands have become busy markets. The Haijun Yamen was originally built in a remote place, but now it is surrounded by residential buildings. There are busy cars and hawkers outside the door all day long, making it very lively. "

Speaking of the changes in Tianjin Wei, Li Ruzhang has a deep understanding. Not to mention, he was a Marine Guard who joined Jingyang in the fifth year. At that time, Tianjin Guard was only a prosperous area near the canal dock.

In the blink of an eye, more than three years have passed. Not only has Tianjin Wei's population increased, many wastelands and farmland have been turned into towns, and the prosperous areas have also begun to divide into two, one in the south and one in the north. The canal pier in the north remains the same, while the south is filled with various shops, centered on the Navy Yamen.

With the Navy Yamen hanging a plaque of the Maritime Governor and setting up a shipping terminal and warehouse area on the nearby Hai River, the number of surrounding shops seems to have increased by several percent.

When the plaque of the Customs Governor's Yamen appeared, not only did the number of shops increase by several percent, but also two or three large restaurants were built. Businessmen seem to be following the yamen to do business. Those with high-quality and large number of plaques at the door will open a store near them.

"I am guilty... I have personally investigated and found out that in addition to purchasing items, sailors also visit Goulan and gambling houses. Sometimes they can spend all their monthly salary in two or three days."

Li Ruzhang said vigorously. In his opinion, the more prosperous Tianjin Wei was, the more sage the emperor was. But the more Yuan Keli listened, the paler his face became. Finally, he simply sat down and knelt down, taking the initiative to apologize.

"Hahaha... Governor Yuan is overly worried. I only said that gambling is not allowed in the army or on the ship, but I never said that it is not allowed to get off the ship and leave the camp during the holidays.

Most of the sailors were vigorous men in their prime, and they did the dangerous job of wearing their heads in their belts. Once they went to sea, they could not see the shore for at least ten days, and it was common for them to go months without seeing a woman.

They are not monks, so how can they have pure six sense organs. As superior officers, you two not only have to follow training and follow rules, but you also have to fully understand the difficulties of your subordinates and not be too picky.

No one is willing to follow a Shangguan who lacks human touch. Of course, he cannot be encouraged to visit Goulan Casino. It is easy for outsiders to lure him with money and silk and break the rules. I think we can ask the General Staff to set up a picket team to oversee military discipline after landing.

Not only should you not intervene, if you encounter any sailors, they will be caught and punished by the pickets, but you should also come forward to intercede appropriately. While killing chickens to scare monkeys, you might as well win some military morale. I won’t go into details about the specific measurements and heat levels with my advisors. "

Is it a crime for the sailors to indulge in drunkenness after landing? In the eyes of Ming Dynasty officials, this offender was indeed responsible for lax military management, but for Hong Tao, it was just human nature.

As the saying goes, if you want your horse to run fast, you must eat well and eat well. Sailors in the sailing warship era, including marines, did the most risky and technical jobs. In addition to being given corresponding rewards, they also had to be treated specially in some aspects.

Although the sailors have mastered some knowledge, they are still inseparable from the times. Talking about ideals, beliefs, and liberating all mankind are basically useless and incomprehensible. If you want them to work for you, you have to either use high-ranking officials or get rich salaries, or meet some needs, there is no other way.

"I obey the holy order, can you issue a decree and inform the staff?" With the emperor's approval, Yuan Keli couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, and the big stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time finally fell to the ground.

He had already heard about what the navy officers and soldiers were doing, but he never thought whether he should take care of it or not. According to common sense, it must be strictly prevented, but the navy was not established according to common sense, and the emperor was not a person who played his cards according to common sense. If the navy lost a lot of manpower and combat power as a result, it would also be very troublesome. “Let’s not discuss this issue today. The General Staff will formulate relevant laws and regulations as soon as possible. I now need a general who is familiar with new weapons, has actual combat experience, and understands the fighting methods of Mongolia and Jurchens to train the army as quickly as possible.

After much deliberation, only Zong Yu met the conditions. However, the Marine Guard cannot be left unattended, and Ziqing can take over, but he has done a good job in Guangdong Dusi, and there is no one to take over for the time being.

Two years ago, someone recommended Shen Yourong to me when he was promoted to be the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan. Although he was not selected, Jin Yiwei was specially asked to conduct a detailed investigation afterwards, and the results were very good. What is commendable is that he has nothing to do with the factions in the DPRK and China, so I want him to command the Marine Guards instead of Zong Yu, while Zong Yu is going to prepare the army. "

I don’t pay much attention to Yuan Keli’s efforts to make up for the situation. No regulations can be achieved overnight and must be gradually improved after long-term practice and revision. This work is very tedious and long. Hong Tao does not intend to do it himself, leaving it to the staff to figure it out slowly.

The two of them were summoned to the palace this time for one thing only, to prepare an army. In fact, this job is most suitable for Yuan Keli. Building an army and commanding an army to fight are completely different concepts. The former is like a manager of a company, and must be good at overall planning and communication skills with everyone.

Although Yuan Keli was a very pure civilian official and had never been to the front line to command specific operations, he showed great talent in the process of building a navy from scratch.

Whether it was bureaucrats in the water transport yamen, or people from a military family like Li Ruzhang, or even fishermen and pirates, he was able to unite them skillfully to form a whole.

In the process of dealing with officials from the Ministry of Industry, Jin Yiwei, and Dongchang eunuchs, he was also good at dancing and all-rounded. He rarely brought conflicts to the emperor because he could not deal with a certain department or person.

The most important thing is that he knows how to build a new type of army that has never been seen before according to the emperor's wishes. Note that there is a key phrase here, according to the emperor's meaning.

To paraphrase later generations, he is the most capable person among capable people who can understand the emperor's intention, and at the same time, he is the most capable person among those who can best understand the emperor's intention! It's a pity that the Navy is still in its infancy and cannot do without him.

The next best thing is that there are two candidates available, one is Sun Chengzong, the governor of Shanhaiguan, and the other is Li Ruzhang, commander of the Marine Guards.

Frankly speaking, Hong Tao is more optimistic about Sun Chengzong. This person has a more strategic vision and has performed well in Shanhaiguan in the past two years. He is very much like a simplified version of Yuan Keli, but he has too little experience in official circles.

He was one year younger than Yuan Keli, but he passed the Jinshi examination fifteen years later. Yuan Keli had already made a name for himself in the officialdom and had made many influential colleagues, but Sun Chengzong had not yet entered an official career. Even if you have great talent, you still have to work hard if you want to take on such a heavy responsibility.

Next, only Li Ruzhang is left. His strategic vision is basically out of the question, but he is better because he comes from a military family, has rich combat experience, and has a good understanding of Mongolia and Jurchens. As long as we pay more attention and raise some points, it is not impossible to put up the airs of the Army first.

(End of this chapter)