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Chapter 865: Strengthen your troops
In June, the Ming Army carried out its second expansion. The 3 new troops from Lanzhou were mixed with the original forces of the two Dusi in the north and northwest, adding 30-34 guards.

With surplus food in their pockets, the General Staff gave an order to abolish the naturalized Dusi on the basis of the original four Dusi, and add seven new Dusi in Zhili, Qinghai, Central China, Southwest, South China, Annan, and Luzon. The total force reached 20, with 7 new troops in training and reserve.

Then the first large-scale rotation of guards began. The Zhili Dusi was under the jurisdiction of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th guards, with jurisdiction over Zhili, Shanxi, and Baguacheng, and its seat was Tongzhou; the Northeast Dusi was under the jurisdiction of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th guards, with jurisdiction over Liaodong, Fuyucheng, and Shaolangcheng, and its seat was Jinzhou;

北方都司下辖第10、11、12、13卫，辖区陕西、河套、归化城，治所延安府；西北都司下辖第14、15、16、17卫，辖区山西行都司、贺兰山以西、居延海以南，治所兰州；

The Qinghai Dusi administered the 18th, 19th, and 20th Guards, with jurisdiction over Qinghai and Xining Guards, and its seat was Xining Guard; the Huazhong Dusi administered the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th Guards and the Eight Banner Guards, with jurisdiction over Jianghuai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, and its seat was Nanjing;

The Southwest Military Commission was composed of the 25th, 26th, and 27th Guards, covering Yunnan and Guizhou, with its capital in Kunming. The South China Military Commission was composed of the 28th, 29th, and 30th Guards, covering Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian, with its capital in Guangzhou.

The Annan Dusi was under the jurisdiction of the 31st and 32nd Guards, with jurisdiction in Annan and its seat in Hue; the Luzon Dusi was under the jurisdiction of the 33rd and 34th Guards, with jurisdiction in the Luzon Special District and its seat in Manila;

The 1st Guard was singled out by the General Staff as a directly affiliated gendarmerie guard, which could not only investigate violations of discipline and regulations by the army, but also supervise various naval departments.

In order to stand out from the crowd, the military police made major adjustments to their uniforms, in addition to shoulder straps and armbands. They were no longer the toad leather of the army or the black uniform of the navy, but an unprecedented dark blue.

This kind of cloth is produced by Pulan Dyeing House, a company in Jiaozhou, Shandong. It uses locally produced cotton and linen blended cloth and a special dye called Pulan. There is only one such company in Daming.

In fact, even if other companies mastered this new dye, the General Staff would not purchase it. The two owners of Pulan Dyeing House were both the emperor's father-in-law, and the replacement of new military uniforms was also the emperor's request. Who could not see this?

Besides, the weaving factory that provides cotton and linen blended fabrics is also of great significance. Its three shareholders are relatives of Yuan Keli, Yuan Yingtai and Gao Panlong. Its main products are materials for sails, and it is completely a military-industrial enterprise.

The fabric provided for the new military uniforms this time was a new military fabric specially developed in accordance with the wishes of the Emperor and the General Staff, designed to highlight comfort, protection, and durability. No one else wanted to provide it but it was available.

Does that count as abusing power for personal gain and competing with the people for profit? The emperor explained it this way:
Private capital was plentiful and scattered, and it was rare to invest huge sums of money in creating new products. The emperor and his ministers had to shoulder the heavy burden of paving the way, develop better and newer products, and set a good example.

In fact, all kinds of enterprises led by the royal family and invested by ministers have been doing this for years. Taking advantage of their early start and sufficient funds, they continuously optimize production technology and equipment and develop new products.

Only the first bite of meat was eaten, this was the emperor's request. When product performance and production process were stable and market demand expanded, each company would sell the technology and formula to the outside world in the form of commodities, allowing the private sector to expand production scale.

In this way, there will be no problem of competing with the private sector for profits. Instead, it will promote the development and prosperity of private enterprises and reduce vicious competition caused by serious homogeneity.

In the emperor's words, if ten people share a bowl of noodles, no matter how exquisitely the noodles are cooked, no one will be full. If the noodles can be made into a bowl and paired with different flavors of sauces, not only can they be full but also eat well.

The business in which the royal family and officials participated had to be based on turning noodles into a plate or a jar. Doing so would not only avoid competing with the people for profits, but would also benefit the country and the people.

Of course, no one would follow up just by fooling around. Even if it was the emperor's call, officials would find ways to shirk responsibility, pass the buck, and quibble the third time after suffering losses once or twice. Profits. No one is willing to do something without benefits. This is an eternal truth.

The wonderful thing is that following the emperor not only won't make money, but also can make a lot of money. The first bite of meat is pure pork belly, full of fat and chewy, delicious taste. After eating it once or twice, you will no longer look down on the meat, bones and soup that follow. No one will grab it even if you ask for it, and everyone will focus on innovation.

What should you do if you don’t know how to innovate or can’t recruit talented people in a short period of time? Others will definitely have this trouble, holding on to a large amount of funds and advantages but not being able to find a product to develop.

At this time, it depends on whether you are loyal to the emperor and whether you support the new policy. It is not just about talking, but taking actual actions. Once you become the emperor, you will definitely know, and then the pie will fall.

There are all kinds of new ideas, new products, and new methods, which are endless. I can only be dazzled by the choices, but there is no end to them. At this moment, I finally understand what is a tricky trick and what is turning stone into gold. Then I can't help but say two words in my heart: I am convinced!

Everyone knew that this was a trick the emperor used to win over court officials and consolidate his power, but how many people could remain unmoved when seeing such enormous wealth and glory?

The most tempting thing is that this wealth does not require any trickery or corruption, and is completely aboveboard, reasonable and legal. Not only can it be stated openly, but it can also be published in the newspaper without fear of anyone checking. On one hand, you can earn money by kneeling down and risking hard labor and property confiscation; on the other hand, you can earn money by standing up without damaging your reputation and benefiting the country and the people. It is clear at a glance which way to go.

As for whether or not to support the emperor and the new policy, it is easier to choose. If you want to make money while standing, support it. If you want to make money while kneeling and have hard labor and property confiscation, then don't support it.

The emperor never forced anyone to join the group. He would only lie half-lying on the sofa in the back hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and through the Jinyiwei, the East Factory, the Staff, or some other agencies, he would carefully watch what everyone was doing, and then reward or punish them. He was like a big spider lying in the dark, always watching the movements of its prey.

The army has expanded, and as the most advanced and expensive navy of the Ming Dynasty, there is no reason to stand still. Since the military system reform, the speed of warship construction has slowed down dramatically. In more than three years, only 3 Han-class, 6 Qin-class and 6 Guangzhou-class ships have been launched.

This order was also issued by the emperor, with only one purpose, quality over quantity. The current naval warships have already met the needs of near-shore defense and small-scale ocean-going operations, so there is no need to increase them significantly in a short period of time.

Rushing anything will result in high costs and poor quality, and no matter how careful the craftsmen in the shipyard are, they are bound to be careless under the pressure of quotas.

If other products are used instead, the loss will not be too great, or even invisible, but it will be particularly obvious on expensive warships.

The first batch of warships, which were built largely with pine wood, had a service life of no more than six years and have now all been handed over to the Shipping Department to be used as offshore armed cargo ships or whaling ships.

The second batch of Qin-class battleships built in large quantities used South Sea teak. Even with Annan's geographical convenience, the cost was more than twice that of pine wood, even though it was half bought and half robbed.

If the work is done meticulously, the life of these warships can be extended to 20 or even 30 years, and they can be used for another 10 years after repairs. However, in order to catch up with the schedule, it is estimated that the service life will be shortened by one third.

Taking the Qin class as an example, not counting the artillery, sails, rigging, and anchors, the hull alone required more than 200 large pieces of teak wood. Adding freight and labor, the cost was between 5 and 6 taels of silver.

Although the Han class is only half a circle larger than the Qin class in appearance, the cost is doubled, and the most conservative estimate is between 15 and 20 taels of silver. The service life is reduced by one third, which is equivalent to throwing away tens of thousands of taels of silver for each ship.

Before the navy found a bigger profit point, the Ming Empire could not afford more warships with its current economic strength. It could only replace old warships with new ones at a rate of a few ships per year, barely maintaining the size of the fleet.

But compared with warships, the size of the navy can continue to expand, especially the land warfare commander. Taking advantage of the opportunity of Annan's surrender, the navy took the opportunity to incorporate the Nguyen Dynasty's army, and the reason given was also very tenable.

The future combat areas of the Marine Corps are mainly in the South Pacific and the West, and most of these areas are located in the tropics. Allowing the natives of Annan and Luzon to participate in the Marine Corps can improve the adaptability of the army.

Of course, although the combined forces of the Nguyen and Le dynasties in Annan numbered 60,000 to 70,000, they could not all be assigned to the navy, and not all of them were suitable to become soldiers of the land warfare corps. Therefore, only three corps were added this time, totaling 18,000 people.

The newly added Dusi were named after Yinglong, Qinglong and Tengshe, three of the ten mythical beasts. They were mixed with the previous three guards, namely Cancer, Crocodile and Wenjia, and stationed in Manila Port, Weihai Port, and Seoul.

In addition to the expansion of the army, the emperor also did not forget to strengthen the Four Guards Battalion and the Warrior Battalion. In terms of distance, this army of about 10,000 people was the real emperor's personal army, completely led by the Imperial Horse Supervisor, and no one else had the right to command except the emperor.

Over the past twenty years, the Four Guards Battalion and the Warrior Battalion have performed an excellent job in defending the Forbidden City, accompanying the emperor on tours, and leading the emperor to war. Their training intensity and combat effectiveness are in no way inferior to those of the Army and the Marine Corps, and they are equipped with the best weapons.

However, time is merciless. Many young and strong men who were only in their twenties or thirties when Hong Tao ascended the throne are now in their forties or fifties. Coupled with battle losses and normal casualties, the team is aging.

Hong Tao certainly didn't want to lead a group of old soldiers to fight in person in the future, so he always asked Zhang Ran to select suitable personnel from the prisoners of war to supplement them. This time, there were tens of thousands of prisoners captured from Qinghai, and tens of thousands from Annan. What else could he wait for if he didn't use his power to manipulate them?

Two thousand, this is the minimum quota Hong Tao gave Zhang Ran. He could only start after the Imperial Horse Administration had selected the army and navy. The rest would be sent to Yunnan to build roads. Those who survived would settle down there and become the sand for the great ethnic integration.

(End of this chapter)