Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

As early as August last year, when Zhu Youjian had just ascended to power, he sent someone to ask Xu Guangqi about the calendar.

At that time, Xu Guangqi knew that he might be resurrected. While compiling the "Complete Book of Nong Zheng", he followed the emperor's instructions to think about calendar issues.

In November, after Zhu Youjian overthrew Wei Zhongxian, he finally officially ordered Xu Guangqi to be resurrected. Xu Guangqi knew the news in December of last year.

When he packed his bags and prepared to go to Beijing, he learned that he had become a bachelor and one of the most powerful ministers in the world.

This made him really feel that the emperor valued him very much——

According to common sense, there are far more than one or two people who are more qualified than him to become a bachelor.

With this idea in mind, Xu Guangqi ignored the fatigue of the journey. After the strategy of guarding North Korea was adopted by the emperor, he wrote another memorial, which contained his views on the current situation and the suggestions he had thought about these days.

Zhu Youjian looked at the memorial and had a deeper understanding of Xu Guangqi's talents, sighing:

"Xu Qing's plans in the past were very useful."

"It's a pity that the ongoing party disputes between North Korea and China have not allowed you to show off your talents."

"What you said in your memorial about strengthening the army is very much in line with my thoughts."

"Is there any specific regulations and specific training candidates for this matter?"

Seeing that Xu Guangqi said in his memorial that if his strategy could be used, "it would only take a few years to succeed with only 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and only 5 to 6 million dollars in money." Although Zhu Youjian didn't quite believe it, he couldn't help but Have expectations.

So when I saw Xu Guangqi's proposal to train five thousand troops in his memorial, I immediately became interested and wanted to see if he had specific regulations and whether there was any possibility of success.

Xu Guangqi had already practiced military training back then, and now that he was proposing this strategy, he would of course think more thoroughly. He arranged the employment, selection of soldiers, chariots and armor, soldiers, large and small firearms, etc. in an orderly manner, and also requested that his disciple Sun Yuanhua be transferred to actually take charge of the matter.

Zhu Youjian had long had the idea of ​​​​training troops. He not only selected generals such as Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji, but also personally trained patrol battalions.

It's just that he doesn't have any good ideas on how to train soldiers in this era. After listening to Xu Guangqi's eloquent words, he thought about it and said:

"It is inconvenient to move lightly in the capital camp. Xu Qing is a bachelor now, so it is inconvenient to go anywhere."

"The patrol battalion is rated at 11,000 patrol troops. I will give you 5,000 troops to be responsible for organizing and training the new army."

"If we can practice well, we will train the Beijing camp according to the law in the future."

Zhu Youjian attaches great importance to the force of force in the capital. The elite soldiers Xu Guangqi requested to train were also placed in the patrol camp.

This force now belongs to Jinyiwei. He has the power to appoint generals and generals, big and small.

This gave him a lot of autonomy and allowed Xu Guangqi to train elite soldiers. There is no need to discuss it again and again in the court, which will create a lot of questions.

Of course Xu Guangqi had heard of the name of the patrol camp. In his impression, they were a weak force that couldn't even put down the bandits in the capital.

This made him frown and said:
"Your Majesty, if you want to train elite soldiers, you must start with selecting people."

"I think the patrol battalion officers are unavailable and we need to recruit new troops?"

Zhu Youjian had trained a thousand patrol battalion soldiers a year ago and felt that they were not as bad as he said. He said disapprovingly:
"Xu Qing thought it was wrong. The patrol camp is different now."

"I trained for a period of time years ago, and many of them are soldiers who can be used on the battlefield."

"These people are now assigned to the urban guard office. They are now responsible for the public security and fire sanitation work in the capital!"

"I allow you to select suitable soldiers from these people."

Xu Guangqi had just arrived in Beijing and did not feel deeply about this. But the cleaner things about Beijing can be seen at a glance.

Thinking of those red mantles that looked good while patrolling the streets, Xu Guangqi said:
"If they were all like patrol officers on the street, maybe they could be used together."

"I'm afraid that all the elite patrol battalions are working as patrol officers and there won't be more elite soldiers."

"I request your Majesty's permission to recruit new soldiers from outside."

When Zhu Youjian heard what he said, he also murmured in his heart. I wonder how many elite soldiers can be selected from the patrol camp.

So he listened to Xu Guangqi's request and finally agreed to him:
"New soldiers can be recruited, but it is best to choose them from the guards around the capital."

"Xu Qing can choose any guard soldier Xu Qing likes."

"The rest of the guards can also do it. They have been loyal to us for generations, so there is no problem with their loyalty."

"I allow you to recruit 10,000 people, select the best from the best, and select 5,000 elite soldiers."

Xu Guangqi was not very happy when he heard that the emperor only allowed people to be selected from the guards. After all, everyone in the Ming Dynasty knows what the guards look like.

Even though the emperor lived deep in the inner palace, he still felt that the soldiers in the guard station were worthy of use. In fact, many soldiers and officers were no different from serfs, and their physiques were not as good as those of ordinary people who had enough to eat.

These soldiers were full of resentment, and it would have been better if they had not fled. Their loyalty to the emperor was not necessarily higher than that of the common people.

Xu Guangqi wanted to tell the truth, but he was worried that if he kept saying it again, he would make the emperor dissatisfied. Those nobles who are related to the guards may also hinder military training.

So he opened his mouth and ultimately did not say anything. Promise to select suitable soldiers from the guard station:

"There are dozens of guards around the capital, I don't believe that ten thousand people can't be selected." 』

"If that doesn't work, go to Ji Town and Xuan Mansion to recruit. 』

"These two places are also around the capital, so they can barely be justified. 』

As border town guards, Jizhen and Xuanfu can still select some elite soldiers. Xu Guangqi relied on his status as a bachelor to have the confidence to choose people from there.

After such discussions, the problem of the source of soldiers was finally solved. Regarding Xu Guangqi's request to transfer Sun Yuanhua to Beijing, Zhu Youjian also agreed, saying:
"Previously, I specially granted Sun Yuanhua the title of Yuanshi and asked him to go to Liaodong to serve as the captain of the army guard."

"Now that Xu Qing wants him to stay in Beijing, he should go to patrol the new army and serve as the guard captain!"

"As for the officers of the new patrol battalion, try to select them from soldiers who have received training in the past years."

"There are also some generals in martial arts. Xu Qing can choose some."

"In addition, there will be a martial arts conference held in a few days. If Xu Qing is interested, you can also choose some people."

The time for the martial arts conference was arranged by Zhu Youjian to be held after the palace examination, that is, in April. Xu Guangqi should have selected his recruits by that time and needed to select generals.

Xu Guangqi was well versed in Chinese and Western studies, and the same was true for his military training methods. He didn't value brave generals very much, but he cared more about firearms. Requested:

"There are many Westerners gathering in Xiangshan'ao, Guangdong."

"Some of them have served in the army, and some are good at forging guns and cannons."

"I thought we could send people to recruit people and let them go to the capital to listen."

Zhu Youjian was overjoyed when he heard this, and he was even more satisfied with Xu Guangqi.

One of his purposes for appointing Xu Guangqi was to serve as a bridge of communication with the West.

Now Xu Guangqi has indeed played a role in making this suggestion.

Those Westerners had no roots in the Ming Dynasty, and when they came to the capital, they could only rely on themselves as the emperor. In addition, the number of people was not very large, so Zhu Youjian had no fear of them and responded to Xu Guangqi:
"I allow you to recruit foreign soldiers to help the Ming Dynasty train and fight."

"If there are those who have made meritorious deeds, I can confer honors and titles."

Let Xu Guangqi recommend people to go to Xiangshanao to recruit talents and purchase firearms.

Thinking again of what he asked the Ordnance Research Institute to do, Zhu Youjian said:
"Before going to Guangdong, Xu Qing can go to the Ordnance Research Institute to have a look and help choose standard weapons."

"In the future, Ming Dynasty's firearms will gradually be unified in style to facilitate production and manufacturing, as well as personnel training."

"The firearms purchased in Xiangshan Ao must comply with the standard."

He told Xu Guangqi about his instructions to the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Shang Zhouzuo and others to purchase firearms. Only then did Xu Guangqi know that the emperor had made these preparations.

Thinking about the firearms purchased by Zhou Zuo of Shang Dynasty, many of them may have been purchased from Xiangshan Ao. You can directly select the firearm model and ask the envoy to Xiangshanao to purchase it.

Xu Guangqi knew that this would save a lot of time. This made him couldn't help but smile on his face, and he was happy that the emperor and himself thought of being together:
"Your Majesty, you are so clear-eyed today!" 』

"I have already prepared for this kind of thing. 』

But he didn't know that Zhu Youjian was also very happy in his heart.

Because in the past, these things were almost all promoted by him alone, and many courtiers did not support or understand him.

This forced Zhu Youjian to keep an eye on these things, otherwise there might be no progress once he let go.

Now that Xu Guangqi is here, these things can finally be thrown out and handed over to him.

This made Zhu Youjian sigh in his heart that he could finally relax.

After the monarch and his ministers had a conversation, they both realized that they were in harmony with each other. Just the first time we met, we already had a tacit understanding.

So much so that they couldn't stop talking, talking a lot about astronomy, geography, finance, farmland, and water conservancy. The conversation didn't end until the palace gate was about to close.

After this incident spread, everyone in the government and the public knew more about the emperor's regard for Xu Guangqi. He was worthy of being the first minister the emperor asked about after he ascended the throne.

Wen Tiren knew about this and realized that he could not relax about what he had thought about before. You should try to make friends with Xu Guangqi and learn Western learning from him and the missionaries.

The two of them are now a Jiuqing and a bachelor. Not only do they have no conflict, but they can complement each other. Before Wen Tiren became a bachelor, there would be basically no conflicts.

Therefore, Wen Tiren had no burden in his heart to be friends with Xu Guangqi and sent him a greeting card early to ask for advice.

There were many other people who thought the same as him. Almost everyone could see the emperor's emphasis on Western learning and Western utensils. There are now many people in the capital studying clocks and pianos in order to please the emperor.

As a disciple of Matteo Ricci and now a bachelor, Xu Guangqi can be said to be the leader of Western learning. Many people who admired or were curious about Western learning naturally sent in their name cards asking for help.

However, Xu Guangqi had no idea of ​​meeting them one by one at this time. After meeting a few people who couldn't escape, he and Sun Yuanhua went to the patrol camp to check.

Sun Yuanhua came to Beijing together with Xu Guangqi. Before coming to the capital, he had heard about his teacher's ideas, so he never went to Liaodong to take up his post.

Now he is recommended by his teacher and stays in the capital as the captain of the patrol camp and guard the army. Naturally, he was very excited and was determined to do something great with his teacher.

The patrol camp belonged to Jinyiwei, and subordinate officers could be directly appointed by Zhu Youjian, so Sun Yuanhua's appointment documents were quickly issued by him. The appointment of Xu Guangqi to organize and train the new army in the patrol camp had already spread throughout Jinyiwei.

This incident made Liu Qiao, the commander of Jinyiwei and the minister of Weiwei Temple, complain in his heart, because the current situation of the patrol camp was that "the army is half empty and there are many horses to hire people to ride on."

Previously, a thousand soldiers were selected for training by the emperor, and all the elites of the patrol battalion had been selected. Unexpectedly, the emperor sent those people to the Guards Office below after training, so that now almost all of the people left in the patrol camp are the old, weak, sick and disabled.

After Liu Qiao received the news that the emperor sent Xu Guangqi to train the new army in the patrol camp, he knew that things were going to be bad. The emperor had previously trained a thousand people and there was no movement, so he thought the incident would be over.

Now that this happened, he knew that the emperor had been paying attention to the patrol camp. Xu Guangqi arrived so quickly, even if he hired someone to make the scene, it was already too late.

Not to mention that as a senior executive of Jinyiwei, Liu Qiao knew very well how powerful Jinyiwei's ability to collect intelligence was now. Other places dare not say it. The capital has been closely watched by the emperor in the past few months, and any trouble is almost always sent up as intelligence.

As a senior member of Jinyiwei, it stands to reason that he would be able to suppress the relevant information. But Liu Qiao knew better that he, the admiral of the West Sifang, had little ability to interfere with the North Sifang.

Both offices operate independently and are distinct from each other. To expect the people in Bei Si Fang to suppress their information is to think too much.

Even Zheng Shiyi, the commander of the Jinyi Guards in charge of the Bei Si Fang, and Fang Hongzhan, the assistant in charge of the Bei Si Fang, may not be able to suppress it when they encounter information related to themselves——

The Jinyiwei Supervision Department, in charge of the eunuchs of the inner court, has been keeping an eye on them.

And there is another Dongchang besides Jin Yiwei, who suppresses Jin Yiwei's status before the idea is restored.

Therefore, even though he knew that he would be embarrassed if this matter was exposed, Liu Qiao still did not dare to make any small moves. He could only tell the truth to Xu Guangqi and Sun Yuanhua and ask them to help him speak well in front of the emperor.

Xu Guangqi had some guesses about the situation in the patrol camp. Although his expectations had been raised by the emperor's statement before, now that he saw the truth, he was not too disappointed.

Instead, he repeatedly asked Liu Qiao whether the old, weak, sick and disabled could be abolished. There are 11,000 patrolmen in the patrol battalion, can they not be counted?
In the past, Liu Qiao would not dare to guarantee this matter. Because even though most of these soldiers are old, weak, sick and disabled, if they really want to be abolished, they are likely to cause trouble. After all, if a soldier's food and salary is deducted by a superior officer, it is still a food and salary. Many patrol battalion soldiers do not want to lose their jobs.

But that was before, and things have long since changed. After the establishment of the Guards Office in the three urban districts of the capital, Zhu Youjian sent the elite patrol battalion soldiers who had been trained to serve as patrol officers below.

These people have been assigned levels one after another. Many of them have several levels of police titles. Not only can they get corresponding wages, but they are also very prestigious on the street. There are even people who have become police sergeants and may become rank officers.

This made the rest of the patrol camp envious of them, and some even wanted to find a way to work in the health team.

Faced with this situation, Liu Qiao could certainly guarantee that these old, weak, sick and disabled people could be removed from the patrol camp and transferred to the Guard's Office. (End of chapter)