Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 208 Training the Imperial Guards

Zhu Youjian attached great importance to thieves robbing government officials of money and injuring officials. He could not have imagined that thieves would be so rampant in the Ming capital.

This made him decide to launch a severe crackdown on bandits and illegal crimes in the capital.

The enforcement agency of the severe crackdown is obviously Jin Yiwei. This made him pay more attention to the Jinyiwei training in the afternoon, and decided to give the Jinyiwei officials a good training and deal with the severe crackdown to prevent good things from turning into bad things.

At the same time, the restructuring of the three legal departments must also be promoted, and personnel should be dispatched to supervise and crack down on the work.

Thinking about these things, Zhu Youjian naturally didn't care much about the affairs of the Ministry of Industry. Because the current Ministry of Industry is not suitable for major reforms, the court's energy is mainly concentrated on the restructuring of the Three Laws Division and cannot be spared to promote the restructuring of the Ministry of Industry.

Zhu Youjian could only adjust the officials of the Ministry of Industry first and assign the fragmented institutions to Shaofu Temple. Later, under the supervision of the Third Law Department, he could promote the announcement of the restructuring.

After these trivial matters were taken care of, the meeting ended quickly. Zhu Youjian took a break at noon and went to the internal training ground in Xiyuan in the afternoon to review the Jinyiwei officials and patrol battalion officers.

This month he has been busy all day long, and has no time to even take a breath. He is so busy.

This made Zhu Youjian realize that being an emperor first requires a good body!

Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang directly handled the affairs of the six ministries back then. I really don’t know how he persisted. Wouldn’t he be tired?

While admiring the scenery of Xiyuan, Zhu Youjian took a break before the Jinyiwei officials arrived.

After eradicating the eunuchs this month, Zhu Youjian never stopped for a moment in order to gain control of the court. Now he finally felt a little tired and felt that he couldn't go on like this.

Moreover, he also thought that even though he felt tired as the emperor, the elderly ministers in the court probably felt even more tired. I want them to take a breather and can't arrange more things.

So he was already planning to move on to more concrete things, such as martial arts and Jinyiwei. Put aside the matters in the court for a while and focus on implementing the previous changes.

Not knowing that they were going to suffer next, the Jinyiwei officials and patrol battalion officers did not dare to neglect the emperor's order. When the prescribed time came, they began to enter the inner training ground.

Zhu Youjian saw that they were still in good order and nodded slightly. Let them start proofreading as before. He wanted to see how the soldiers drilled at this time and how the review was held.

The more he looked, the more he frowned. Zhu Youjian looked at the messy formation and asked Gao Shiming:
"Is this the elite of the patrol battalion?"

"How does it compare with the Royal Horse Guards' Warrior Four Guards Battalion?"

It could be heard that the emperor was dissatisfied with the performance of the patrol camp. Gao Shiming thought about it and said:

"Before the Royal Horse Supervisor was reorganized, the elites were probably just like this."

"Later, the censor Gao Hongtu asked for training in three major camps, divided into bows and crossbows, short soldiers, and firearms."

"Only after strict training can we become a strong army."

Quite interested in this, Zhu Youjian really didn't expect that a civil servant would take the initiative to strengthen the inner court troops and asked:
"Where is Gao Hongtu?"

"What's your current position?"

Gao Shiming replied:

"Gao Hongtu was once the censor of Shaanxi Province, the inspector of Shaanxi Province, and then the censor of Shanxi Province."

"This person has no party affiliation. He has conflicts with Zhao Nanxing of the Donglin Party. He has also said Wei Zhongxian's fault."

"In November last year, Wei Ni ordered him to stay idle because he violated Wei Zhongxian's wishes by neglecting to invite Ji Zhuwei and Baosheng Bow."

This was another neutral faction. Zhu Youjian took a look at Gao Shiming and knew that this eunuch had been ups and downs in the palace for many years. He saw his intention to reuse the neutral faction, so he recommended this person.

I don’t know what the relationship between Gao Hongtu and Gao Shiming is, and I don’t think that Gao Hongtu is not even attached to Wei Zhongxian, but will be attached to Gao Shiming. Zhu Youjian said:
"Gao Hongtu is resurrected and a good position is arranged for him."

"If he has enough qualifications, let Yang Jingchen recommend him as the censor of Qiandu."

Gao Hongtu had served as censor for many years and had also served as a patrol inspector. Gao Hongtu probably had enough qualifications to be promoted to censor of Qiandu. Zhu Youjian planned to put it in the court for observation to see if this person could be used.

If it can be used, this civil servant who strengthens the emperor's military power should certainly be put to great use. He can go to the General Administration of Military Supervision or the Beijing Camp. The Yuma Supervisor soldiers and horses were trained into a strong army under his suggestion, and the soldiers and horses in the Beijing camp were supervised by him, and maybe things could change.

Having gained a talent, today's review was not without success. Zhu Youjian saw that the patrol battalion's drill was really unsatisfactory. After they barely completed the drill, he ordered:
"Disperse these thousand people, organize them according to the number of commanders and corps commanders, and let the soldiers nominate commanders and corps commanders to form a small flag."

"Then use three small flags as a small team, three small teams as a squadron, and three to five squadrons as a large team. Let the patrol battalion's generals above and officers above the Jin Yiwei commander personally lead the training."

“Teach them how to queue first, so they don’t make such a mess again.”

Let them conduct queue training based on the military training they have experienced.

This kind of training is the basis of the era of hot weapons. Zhu Youjian is not sure whether it is suitable for today's era of mixed cold weapons and hot weapons. But he felt that the Jin Yiwei and the patrol battalion were more like police. First of all, discipline must be strengthened and formation training was needed.

In addition, it can also create a unique temperament and image that distinguishes it from other institutions. Zhu Youjian's purpose in training the Jinyiwei was to use them to crack down hard and clean up the bandits in the capital.

At the same time, I want to practice with the patrol camp to see if the military knowledge I have learned is suitable for this era.

Gao Shiming couldn't believe it for a moment, and after asking carefully, he understood what the emperor meant. Knowing that the emperor was dissatisfied with the patrol camp, he asked the senior officials to be trained as grassroots officers.

But in this case, what will happen to the former grassroots officers of the patrol battalion? There are also Jinyiwei commanding the following officials, how should they be arranged.

When Zhu Youjian heard this question, he thought of the teaching camps in later generations and said:

"Set up a teaching team and let them participate in training as an independent team."

"The official position will still be retained, but during training, he will be treated as an ordinary member."

"Veterans over fifty years old and those with injuries are allowed not to participate in training."

This was because I saw some soldiers with white beards and hair on the battlefield, and I was worried that they wouldn't be able to bear it, so I pointed this out.

The requirement to have injuries is also to weed out some people who are afraid of difficulties, lest they affect the training.

But the emperor could say this, but they didn't dare not participate. Can people who don't even participate in training expect to fight? They were all worried about being punished by the emperor for this reason, so they all asked to participate in training.

In this way, all the officers of Jinyiwei who participated in the training, as well as the officers and soldiers of the patrol camp, asked to participate in the training.

According to Zhu Youjian's order, except for the teaching brigade, the rest were divided into three brigade according to number, led by Zheng Shiyi, Qi Changguo, and Liu Qiao respectively, and were reorganized.

Zhu Youjian recalled the military training he had participated in. First, he asked them to count and accurately count the number of people. Then there are basic movements such as standing at attention, taking a rest, standing astride, squatting, sitting down, etc., turning left, turning right, walking in step, walking forward, running, etc.

These simple actions left many people confused, but they did not dare to question the emperor's decision. We can only adjust it bit by bit according to the requirements from the emperor.

In order to prevent them from slacking off, Zhu Youjian also set up a training review ceremony based on the military training report summary meeting and the military parade he had watched. Half a month later, he will test the distribution of these people. I also plan to choose a set of boxing techniques and use them as military boxing for the time being.

For this boxing technique, Zhu Youjian did not use the military boxing he had learned in later generations. Instead, he asked people around him what boxing techniques were used in the military now.

Gao Shiming replied:
"Qi Jiguang once selected the thirty-two movements of his boxing that were good among various boxing techniques."

"There are many people in the army who know this boxing technique."

Zhu Youjian was overjoyed when he heard that it was decided by Qi Jiguang, a famous general. He felt that it was more suitable for current use, and immediately ordered:
"From now on, this set of boxing will be called Qijia Boxing and will be used as the first set of military boxing."

"Jinyiwei's arrest work has special needs. In the future, there will be special arresters to facilitate the capture of criminals."

These are unarmed skills, which Zhu Youjian developed with reference to later military martial arts and enemy-capturing fists, and were used to capture criminals without weapons.

However, many criminals at this time possess cold weapons, and Jin Yiwei also has many standard weapons, and the corresponding martial arts must be determined.

Zhu Youjian began to consider whether to hold a military competition and specifically select those with high strength to create martial arts for standard weapons. Collect and preserve those cold weapons and martial arts.

Tens of thousands of officials in the Ming Dynasty served as hereditary officers for more than two hundred years, although some of them were corrupted and their martial arts were not very good. But some families have martial arts passed down from generation to generation.

These secret skills may be lost with the advent of the era of hot weapons. I want to collect them and use them in catching thieves.

After writing this down, Zhu Youjian thought of police equipment such as batons and shields in later generations, and decided to match them all.

In addition, the current military uniforms are also inconvenient for various movements. Zhu Youjian decided to imitate the military uniforms of later generations and make costumes for Jinyiwei.

Jinyiwei and Weiwei Temple must have separate uniforms, separate from the military and government agencies. Beautiful uniforms can also improve the image of Jinyiwei and make people more trustworthy.

At the same time, Jinyiwei and Weiwei Temple also need separate badges as their symbols.

While watching the training of the Jin Yiwei and patrol battalions, I thought about these things. Zhu Youjian felt that there were too many areas that needed to be improved. The establishment of a new organization was by no means just appointing a few officials. Making them work requires more detailed work.

"The production of police equipment can be left to the Nansifang Equipment Hall. Jinyiwei has military craftsmen. Just let them make these things."

"The Military and War Bureau of the Inner Palace Supervisory Office can also make these, but it is not as convenient as Jinyiwei's own production. They can improve police equipment based on actual usage."

"Jin Yiwei can make these things without much power himself."

Zhu Youjian didn't care much about police equipment. He knew that Jin Yiwei couldn't rebel with this. But he was very concerned about uniform production.

In his plan, Jinyiwei cannot have independent financial resources to avoid losing control.

Ready-made garments are a downstream industry of the textile industry, and textiles are the first industry where the industrial revolution began. If there is a breakthrough in technology in this industry, a lot of money can be made.

Therefore, clothing production must not be left to Jin Yiwei. Zhu Youjian plans to set up a separate garment workshop in the Inner Palace Supervisor or the Shangyi Supervisor to be responsible for this matter.

Planning these aspects, Zhu Youjian felt that time passed quickly. Seeing that the sky was getting dark, Zhu Youjian asked them to end their training and continue tomorrow.

He has to keep an eye on these people every day, watch their changes, and formulate appropriate codes of conduct.

After being watched and trained by the emperor for a long time, and having to go to the palace for training every day for the next half month, people like the Jinyi Guards and the Patrol Battalion were under great pressure. After leaving the palace, there were constant complaints.

Zheng Shiyi, Qi Changguo, Liu Qiao and others also wanted to complain. They, the senior officials, had work arrangements, but now they had to participate in training under the emperor's order, which made them feel really tired and wished they could have the ability to clone themselves.

But if they were asked to tell the emperor now that they would not participate in the training, they did not dare. These people were really frightened by the emperor's high-pressure management and did not dare to disobey the emperor.

Not to mention that the emperor had said before that he was allowed not to participate in training. They wanted to participate before, but now they don't want to participate. What would the emperor think?
So no matter how hard and tired they are, these people can only grit their teeth and hold on. At least for this half month, you have to participate in training.

Half a month later, the emperor will check the split style and military style boxing. This is also a big test for them, related to their abilities and how they look in the emperor's eyes.

So for the next half month, they plan to grit their teeth and hold on. Whether you can be valued by the emperor depends on your performance during this period.

Most of the other Jin Yiwei officials and patrol battalion officers thought the same way. Opportunities for the emperor's attention are not always available. Of course there are some who complain about being tired, but more people see it as an opportunity.

In this way, Zhu Youjian's training changes began to be implemented in Jinyiwei. The final effect needs to be tested in practice.

December 1st, Jiawu, New Year's Day.

This day is the Shuowang Dynasty again, and Zhu Youjian considered not holding it, but considering that there is no discussion at the Shuowang Dynasty in November, if this continues, those officials who cannot participate in the regular Dynasty may have objections.

Therefore, he held the Shuowang Dynasty in Huangji Hall and invited the officials in Beijing to attend.

Only when you lose it can you know how to cherish it. Now the officials in the capital know how rare the opportunity is to go to court to discuss matters. Those officials who were unable to attend the regular dynasty were very positive about this lunar dynasty. Many officials had many opinions on the emperor's actions in November.

However, Zhu Youjian had been guarding against those petty officials expressing their opinions randomly, so he arranged a big topic for Shuowang Dynasty this time, which was the treatment of the eunuchs, which was the eighth-level counter-case.

He asked the officials to list the identified chief rebels, chief rebels' accomplices, principal criminals, and accomplices, and read out their crimes in the regular court. This took a lot of time.

What other officials wanted to say, they never got a chance to say. In front of this big event, other things have to take a back seat.

Set standards for counter-criminal cases and allow officials to actively report crimes. Zhu Youjian followed their recommendations and resurrected a group of officials who had been attacked by the eunuch party. This time, the New Year's Day passed without any danger, and there were no accidents.

This made Zhu Youjian breathe a sigh of relief. He knew what happened in the court and did not deviate from his own arrangements. But what happened next caught his attention, that is, many officials came to fill the vacancies.

At the top of the list are the three positions of Jiuqing, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice and Yushi of both left and right. Official positions such as the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, the minister of great work, the minister of Qian Fa, the minister of households, and the minister of Jingying of the Ministry of War were also proposed to be supplemented.

More than one official complained, and even Yuan Keli made such a request, which forced Zhu Youjian to take it seriously and consider it:

"Perhaps I have arranged too many things and put too much pressure on them. Someone needs to share it."

"These official positions should also be arranged and cannot remain empty."

"Yuan Keli didn't want to keep in charge of the Three Laws Division and make people criticize him, so he asked for the appointment of the Minister of Punishment and the Censor of the City. He said that the Three Laws Division has completed the stage adjustment and needs the chief officer to continue to advance."

"Then, all these positions will be selected, except for the minister who oversees the capital."

Zhu Youjian of the Beijing camp plans to make a big move and needs to give them combat effectiveness. Therefore, the position of the Assistant Minister of the Beijing Camp needs to be carefully selected.

Moreover, before the deputy minister in charge of the capital camp takes office, there needs to be a reliable nobleman in charge of the affairs of the capital camp. In order to prevent Beijing Camp from being controlled by civilian officials, it would be difficult for him to control it.

This made him look forward to the review on December 2 and want to choose a suitable honorary.

(End of this chapter)