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Chapter 423 New and Old 2

"...Get up, what is the crime of telling the truth! In the future, you will not only say it, but also say it more. If you don't tell me, I will never know. There must be some people who don't like to hear it, but I swear to heaven, I will never He will be punished for his words."

Looking at the Minister of the Ministry of War who was kneeling down, Hong Tao could feel the conflicting feelings, but could not give him enough comfort or explanation. It is true that Lao Zhu's family did a great job in this matter. For the sake of the prosperity of the family, they almost killed all the meritorious officials.

Comparing one's feelings with one's own, with that kind of precedent, as a minister, he would indeed be very wary of the emperor's control of military power. And as a descendant of the Zhu family, no matter how I try to cover up and explain, it seems feeble.

"As for the issue of military power, I think we can find a compromise solution that will not frighten the ministers and will not tie my hands. What do you think, Wang Shangshu?"

But what needs to be done must still be done, and it will never stop because of the opposition of some people. You can make certain concessions, but now it depends on whether the other party is willing to let go of their prejudices and take a step back.

"I am willing to listen attentively!" Wang Xiangqian immediately regretted what he just said. If he hadn't been affected by this incredible victory, he would not have accused the emperor's ancestors so straightforwardly. What a treason!

Seeing that the emperor was not displeased at all, and even swore to heaven that he would not pursue the matter in the future, he was only half relieved after mentioning it. The other half was still hanging, and although the icy rain stopped falling, cold sweat flowed down the base of his ears.

If the whole world were to choose who spoke the most unreliable words, the emperor should be sure that he would be in the top three. This kind of oath cannot be fully believed, but also cannot be completely disbelieved. It is too troublesome.

"This is my plan. Since we want to build a new army, we should not continue to follow the old path. The current guards, frontier troops, and Beijing camps are all useless. We can only follow the example of the navy, and I will personally supervise it. train.

In order to let my dear friends put aside their grudges, the command of the new army cannot be in my hands alone, nor can it be handed over to the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Office. The imperial court can establish a new department, which is composed of the Five Military Governor's Office, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Household Affairs and me.

From now on, any use of military force in the country will be decided by me alone. It will be decided by everyone's vote and the principle of the minority obeying the majority will be adopted. In all foreign wars, I have the right to use the new army, even if there is opposition.

But in order to prevent me from resorting to militarism and wasting money and people, every foreign war must have clear goals and benefits. If it is not reached three times, I will automatically give up the power to launch foreign wars. All future deployments of the New Army must be approved by a majority of people.

It's empty talk. If all the beloved ministers agree with my method, it can be incorporated into the Ming Law, and it can also be announced to the world by imperial edict. However, as the emperor, I must have some privileges, and it is my duty to name the new yamen. Let's call it the General Staff Department! "

Although it is possible to use the opportunity of the three major battalions to be crippled to forcibly establish a new army, but that would be tantamount to completely pitting the monarch and his ministers against each other. From now on, every day will have to be spent in endless and fierce confrontation, and the loss will be a bit high. .

Hong Tao did not want to turn the Ming Dynasty into a high-pressure military government. As long as there was still room for discussion and some common ground could be found while reserving differences, it didn't matter if he gave in further. With the support of the system, the process of establishing a new army will be smoother. Through constant grinding, it might even be able to influence the thoughts of more courtiers.

"...I wonder how many new armies your Majesty plans to build, and how many years will it take to see results?" Wang Xiangqian was unable to comment on the checks and balances proposed by the emperor. Such a big thing is not something he can promise alone, but as the Minister of War, he must ask for the specific details, otherwise there will be no way to discuss it. "With the current money and food provided by the imperial court, the new army cannot be too large, let's put it at 30,000. If the production of firearms can keep up, the army can be formed in about one year, and it can be out fighting within two years."

It's easier to talk about the technical details. In fact, Li Ruzhang has already started operations. As long as the machinery factory gets an order, it can stop most of the products at any time and specialize in the production of muskets.

The personnel are even more ready-made. We use the Kaihu Division's musketeers and the Royal Horse Guards' Warrior Battalion and the Four Guards Battalion as the basis, and then transfer some gunners and workers from the navy and factories from various places as the backbone. We will first gather 10,000 people. The overall structure of the army has emerged.

So there is no need to make up lies at all, just slightly modify the plan to establish the army, add a 50% margin, and just tell the truth.

"So fast?" But Wang Xiangqian obviously didn't believe it after hearing this. He had watched the whole battle scene today. The key to victory was not soldiers but artillery. The power of this kind of artillery is so great that if forty or fifty of them are used together, it is simply unbelievable. Even if Daluo Jinxian comes, he will be blown to pieces.

But pacifying border troubles is not about defending the city, and Liaodong and Monan are not capital cities. There are no strong cities to defend, and there is no time to get so many cannons to march together. If there are too many civilian men recruited, the government's finances will be overwhelmed, and it will be easily attacked. If there are too few civilian men, it will be impossible to recruit them.

Without the assistance of a sufficient number of artillery, will the new army be much stronger than the three major battalions and the frontier army? As the Minister of the Ministry of War, from a professional perspective, it seems that it is not worth looking forward to.

"Wang Aiqing, don't always look at the problem from the old perspective. Although the victory I achieved today is suspected of being opportunistic, it also proves a trend. In the future, wars will no longer rely on large numbers of people and cavalry, but on the products in the factory. out.

Artillery, muskets and the armor worn by soldiers are all produced in factories. As long as there are enough, tens of thousands of people can be equipped in a month. Unlike crossbows, new troops can go into battle after three to five months of training. If they are mixed with veterans, their combat effectiveness will not be worse than today.

How can I pay homage to the people? How different are the Jurchens from the Mongolian people? A farmer in our dynasty can shoot anyone with a firegun at a distance of 200 paces in three to five months. The Jurchen and Mongolian soldiers can draw a hard bow and arrow without missing a beat, and even after three years of practice, they can't miss even one out of ten.

If one can be exchanged for one on the battlefield, Wang Shangshu might as well calculate how long the Jurchen and Mongolian populations can last? If you think one for one is too exaggerated, then three for one, five for one, and then calculate how many people Ming can use to drag the opponent to death?

After today's battle, I dare not say that the new army trained can defeat ten with one, at least one for one is certain. Let’s do some calculations again. Can the border troubles that have plagued the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years be completely solved with the concerted efforts of me and all my dear friends? "

Don’t believe it, right? Great, if no one asks questions, Hong Tao won't have a chance to fully discuss this issue in detail. Now, if you are interested, I have the details. I won’t talk about 998, nor 688, nor even 128, just 98, and buy one get one free, just tell me whether you like it or not!

(End of this chapter)