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Chapter 696 Reactions from all parties
Why was this arrangement made? The emperor then gave a detailed explanation, and everyone present was moved. The goal was too clear, and the answer was obvious. Finally, the military system was going to be taken.

The emperor made it very clear that the original Ming military system completely separated command, training, and logistics, and handed them over to two departments that were unrelated to each other and were opposed to each other. This was very unfavorable for combat, so it had to be changed.

The emperor did not say how to change it, but the meaning was clear. From now on, the army and navy would train new soldiers separately, and the command of all armies would be handed over to the General Staff.

The Ministry of War and the Governor-General's Office are only left with the responsibility of maintaining the normal operation of the border troops and garrisons. It is estimated that after the accounts are settled, the border troops and garrisons will have to be disbanded again. It is hard to say whether the Ministry of War and the Governor-General's Office will still exist at that time.

Whether the emperor was right or not, no one doubted this. Starting from the Sea Bandit Suppression Commander's Office, he cleared the sea bandits, attacked Annan, defended the capital, fought in Liaodong, recovered Luzon, attacked Guihua, and pacified the rioters in Songjiang Prefecture. Over a period of more than ten years, he killed tens of thousands of enemies, captured tens of thousands, attacked cities and villages, fought in the south and the north, and expanded the territory, and he never lost.

And they only have tens of thousands of soldiers to rely on. As of now, the emperor is the best fighter and the one who understands war the best in the Ming Dynasty. Not only is there no one better, but there is no one who can even come close. Whatever he says about how to win a war must be right.

However, some court officials were not reassured. For example, Ye Xianggao, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, privately told the emperor that if military power was concentrated in the hands of a few generals, whether they were civil or military officers, they might become too powerful to be controlled and eventually become a disaster.

"The army is like a hound. It is hard to run around in the mountains and forests all year round in search of prey, but as long as there is a harvest and a share of the spoils, they will never get tired of it. If there is no prey, the hound can only be tied in the yard all day to eat leftovers. Either it will become a useless dog, or it will turn against its owner and become a mad dog.

Two hundred years ago, the Ming army was invincible from south to north, because there was a constant threat from the Northern Yuan. But after Emperor Chengzu, the Ming lost its must-attack target and became content with the status quo. Without prey, the guards became slack and the border troops relaxed.

Now I will bring the hounds back into the mountains and forests to hunt, and I will never stop. The Jurchens, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, the Southeast Asian countries, the Western countries, and the European countries are all prey for the Ming Dynasty.

With so many goals, do you think the army will go to expand the territory and build achievements, or will they turn around and overthrow me, the emperor who brought them honor and benefits, and be chained in the yard again to linger?"

Ye Xianggao should indeed be worried about the military problem, or in other words, any official who still takes the Ming Dynasty seriously should think about this and be very worried.

But Hong Tao did not intend to change his position, because the main reason for the army's rebellion was not the generals' ill intentions, but the emperor's policy mistakes. In other words, most of the army's rebellions in history were forced.

When we started the business, we fought hard for you and built a beautiful country. But now you are the emperor, and you have secured your seat. You turn around and suppress the army, watching them like a thief. You have no treatment, no merit, and no status. If you don't rebel today, you will rebel tomorrow.

The current navy and army do not have this problem. Not only will they not be abandoned, but they will also face more and more, larger prey, and thus gain more and more benefits and a sense of accomplishment.

I don't know how many soldiers will become generals in a few years or even a dozen years, and I don't know how many families are counting on them to bring back generous treatment and rewards. Why would they rebel in such a day? Even if they rebel, who can continue to bring them more treatment and honor?

In fact, even if the benefits and honors are not shared enough, it would not be easier for the navy or the army to rebel than for the Ming border troops under the supervision of the Ministry of War and the Governor's Office.

The reason is simple. A hot weapon army is too dependent on logistical supplies. Without ammunition replenishment, it may not last even a day. Its combat effectiveness will be reduced to one tenth, and it will become armed peasants. The simplest way to prevent a hot weapon army from rebelling is to separate it from the supply and strictly control the amount of ammunition in a non-war state. Then assist the staff to supervise and decentralize the generals, and regularly change the station and generals.

However, I have to tell Ye Xianggao about this knowledge for the time being, and I cannot explain it to Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong, or even the staff. If you want to fully understand this model, no matter how smart you are, it will take a long time and experience. During this time, I am relatively safe.

Two of the three right-wing Mongolian tribes were half-destroyed, and Guihua City fell into the hands of the Ming army. Despite such a big change, the Left-wing Mongolian Khan, who always regarded himself as the leader of all Mongolia, was very calm. He did not clamor for the Mongolian tribes to send troops to help, but only sent an envoy to Jinzhou City in October and asked the navy to deliver a letter.

The content of the letter was quite ordinary and bland, full of protests, but the wording was not very strong, and there was not even much of a threat.

The barking dog bites, this is Hong Tao's first feeling after reading the handwritten letter from Lin Danhan. As for evidence, there is no evidence, it is completely based on the intuition of being a human for several lifetimes.

But where could Lindan Khan attack the Ming Dynasty? Forget about the line from Shanhaiguan to Panjiakou. Li Ruzhang's army was stationed in Funing, Qian'an, and Jizhou. Jinzhou had the intelligence network of the Jinyiwei and the Statistics Department. As long as the Mongolian army gathered, the news would be sent back quickly by ships from Songshan Port.

The line from Panjiakou to Xuanfu was even more difficult. Not to mention Sun Chengzong's army stationed in Datong, the Kharchin tribe alone would never allow Ligdan Khan's troops to enter their territory.

Compared with the Ming Dynasty, the Left Mongols were a greater threat to it. If they fell out with the Ming Dynasty, at most they would give up a hundred miles of pastureland near the border wall. If they were involved with Chahar, the Kharchin tribe would be swallowed up soon.

"Notify those active near Jinzhou to be alert and ready to move at any time." The General Staff held several meetings but still failed to determine Lin Danhan's intentions. After reporting the situation, the emperor thought for a while and gave the final solution.

In fact, Hong Tao didn't know what Lin Danhan wanted to do, and he didn't believe that he was frightened by the army and restrained his ambitions. Since he couldn't guess, he didn't guess, and just kept his eyes on one place.

If Lin Danhan wanted to take action, the first place that would be affected would definitely be the Jinzhou trade. If the Han merchant caravans and shops operating there were not driven away, the actions of the Mongolian left wing and the Great Jin Dynasty would be exposed.

By the way, ever since Nurhaci was defeated at Tashan Fort and fled back to Hetuala with his remaining troops, and fell ill and left Huang Taiji as regent, there has been almost no news about the Great Jin Kingdom.

In the summer, news came from Korea that the war between the Great Jin and Korea near Kuandian had stopped, and the two countries were sending envoys to each other to resurvey the border, as if they wanted to resolve the dispute through negotiations. Therefore, Hong Tao had reason to speculate that Lin Danhan also wanted to or had already secretly contacted the Great Jin.

Although the Mongols and the Jurchens fought fiercely in the past, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Now the Ming Dynasty is obviously more threatening, and it is more reasonable to unite and resist together rather than act independently.

(End of this chapter)