Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 373: Behind the Town Move
Since the Tang Dynasty, when the country was in chaos due to the strong branches and weak trunk, separatist regimes, and warring states, the principle of strong trunk and weak branches, which had been advocated since the Han Dynasty, has once again become the mainstream since the Song Dynasty. The fact that there were once 800,000 imperial guards stationed in Tokyo during the Song Dynasty originated from this.
Of course, the Song Dynasty not only strengthened the core and weakened the branches in terms of military strength, but also consistently advocated culture over military strength. Even the central government, especially the emperor, would often send out battle formations to command border generals to fight. The Western Army was scattered across many mountaintops, and the imperial guards were rotten to the core.
So in the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Song Dynasty system, enfeoffed his sons as princes, gave them powerful armies as guards, and tried to strengthen the borders, which resulted in the Jingnan Campaign. The final winner, Zhu Di, took back most of the princes' guards and created three major camps. But the Beijing Camp soon became rotten, and the border troops of the nine borders became the real main force of the Ming army.
The Qing Dynasty was not much better. The Bannermen soon became corrupt after entering the Central Plains. Instead, the Green Camp in Jiangnan became the real main force. However, the Green Camp soon became corrupt. By the time the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was in full swing, it relied on forces such as the Hunan Army led by Zeng Guofan himself, the Huai Army led by Li Hongzhang, and the Mongolian soldiers led by Senggelinqin... In short, most of the time the regular army of the court had a pitiful record.
However, from the Song and Yuan Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the army was not very good, and the navy was also first prosperous and then declining. The navy of the Southern Song Dynasty was once the guarantee of the Southern Song Dynasty's seclusion, but it was defeated in the later period; the navy of the Yuan Dynasty gradually grew up in a series of wars, and then it was even able to expedition to Japan - but it also became rotten later; the navy of the Ming Dynasty was no longer good after Zheng He's voyage to the West; as for the Qing Dynasty, look at the Beiyang Navy and the Nanyang Navy...
Therefore, when Zhang Shou arrived in this era, he heard about the early years of Taizu, who divided the country into major command offices and stationed a number of troops there, while at the same time deploying heavy troops on the northern border and vigorously developing the navy on the eastern coast.
However, because the inland areas had always been peaceful and there were few wars, the status and power of the major military commanderies had plummeted within a hundred years, while the importance of the major border towns had never decreased because the northern barbarians often rose up and invaded the border. The navy, which Taizu had high hopes for, was indeed quite good. The navy's ships once covered the sky and the sun, and when they visited the West, they shocked all countries.
Zhang Shou used to think that the Western Ocean mentioned by people today and the Western Ocean mentioned by Zheng He when he sailed to the West were the same, but he later realized that the South Sea was Southeast Asia, the Western Ocean was Europe, and even included India in South Asia. Only the Eastern Ocean... because of Emperor Taizu's obsession, could not be used to refer to Japan. He even thought that the two words Taizu were more likely to refer to the East American continent.
Because the two large-scale fleets were invincible when they went to the Western Ocean, and everyone who saw them was terrified - they encountered pirates twice, once the artillery demonstrated firepower suppression at close range, and once the commander got too excited and had a boarding battle. As a result, merchant ships flying the Ming dragon flag were mostly able to travel freely throughout Europe. Therefore, the dozens of ships that sailed to the Western Ocean in a show of force gradually disappeared.
Although the navy no longer travels to other countries in a blanket manner, it has been updating its ships. In the early years of Emperor Taizu, ports and shipyards were built in Tianjin, Ningbo, Fuzhou, and Guangzhou. Now, these four places have the most complete fleet and navy in the entire Ming Dynasty. As for the purpose of maintaining such a navy, the main responsibility is probably to investigate smuggling ships that go out to sea without customs permits.
In order to avoid collusion between the upper and lower levels, naval officers are rotated every five years. However, since there are only four navies in the world, the navies in other coastal areas such as Songjiang, Quanzhou, Dengzhou, etc. are only small in scale, so the rotation is just a matter of time.
Among them, the Linhai Camp and Zhenhai Camp under the Tianjin Patrol Department had the largest number of troops. The Linhai Camp guarded Beitang and the Zhenhai Camp guarded Dagu respectively. The two camps had a total of 80 ships and 8,000 soldiers. The Dinghai Camp of the Ningbo Patrol Department, the Jinghai Camp of the Fuzhou Patrol Department, and the Nanhai Camp of the Guangzhou Patrol Department were all single camps, with a total of 50 large and small ships and 5,000 soldiers.
Ever since Taizu passed away, there has been a lot of talk about whether to disband the Linhai Camp or the Zhenhai Camp. Countless court officials started arguing verbally and even fought in the court. During the reign of Emperor Yingzong, some cabinet ministers and chancellors even got themselves into a fight over this.
At the beginning, Zhang Chen helped out and uncovered the shady plot, which eventually reached the emperor's ears. The Linhai Camp, which had just been purged, had repeatedly robbed and killed merchant ships under the pretext of eliminating pirates. Zhang Shou heard from Zhang Chen that the Southern Merchant Corps was behind the incident, instigating and supporting it in order to attack the merchant ships of the Northern Merchants. The commander of the Linhai Camp at that time was the commander of the Ningbo Dinghai Camp before him.
Because of the geographical location and convenient navigation, merchants from the north, that is, from northern Zhili and Shandong, have always dominated the maritime trade to Goryeo. As for the trade in Southeast Asia and the West, the north was at a disadvantage in terms of the variety, quality and quantity of goods, so it was unable to compete with the southern merchant groups. However, the only route that was within reach of both the north and the south was Japan.
Because it was impossible for the ships of the two hostile merchant groups to stage a shocking showdown at sea - because once someone leaked the news, it would be a serious crime that would destroy the family and the clan, so some people took the risk and bribed the commander of the Linhai Camp, committing a serious crime. In the past, a wealthy family in Ningbo Prefecture was uprooted because of this, and the head of the family was executed and the whole family was exiled. This time, the follow-up treatment of the Linhai Camp Xiao was not over yet.
At this moment, Zhang Shou was a little surprised when he heard Zhu Tingfang bring up such a topic with Du Heng. Because Zhu Tingfang had never mentioned to him the so-called relocation of Linhai Camp to Cangzhou before - maybe he thought he didn't understand military affairs, and that civil and military affairs were different, or maybe he thought that he, a weak man, shouldn't get involved in this, or maybe there were other reasons.
But as he thought about it carefully, he gradually thought of a possibility that he had not thought of before from the trivial details in recent days. Therefore, when he saw Du Heng, who had originally left in anger, stopped and looked at Zhu Tingfang with suspicion, he could not help but seriously consider whether he should stay and listen to what Zhu Tingfang said to Du Heng, or avoid it first.
"What does General mean?"
"What I mean is that you have witnessed the robbery and killing of merchant ships in the Linhai Camp and the mutiny in the Linhai Camp. You should know the mystery behind it. The robbery and killing of merchant ships in the past made you successful, but the mutiny in the future almost ruined you. Although the emperor has transferred you to the Ruiqi Camp, with your temper, are you satisfied with leading the imperial guards?"
Zhu Tingfang's blunt words almost told Du Heng whether he was interested in getting involved in the Linhai Camp in Cangzhou. Hearing this, Zhang Shou finally understood. After a moment's hesitation, he simply stood up and came to Ge Yong's side.
"Teacher, you've been sitting in the court for so long, how about I help you walk a few steps to get some fresh air?"
Ge Yong glanced at Zhang Shou and immediately laughed. Want to keep your brother-in-law and talk to Du Heng? You wish! Don't you see that I am an imperial envoy after all!
However, after giving Zhang Shou a fierce look, he stood up quickly and walked out of the county government hall without saying a word, supported by Zhang Shou.
After he got off the stairs, he glanced at Zhang Shou and said, "Don't you want to know how Zhu Dalang is going to persuade Du Heng next? Aren't you afraid that once we leave, these two will talk in private and be reported to the authorities, and they will all be in trouble?"
"Teacher, you are joking. There are only the two of them in the hall, but outside the hall, the personal soldiers of the Ruiqi Battalion led by Du Heng are still there, and the guards led by Yingying's elder brother are also there. How can this be called a private conversation? Moreover, from what I know about Yingying's elder brother, he plans before he acts. He may have already submitted a memorial to the emperor, and he may even have received the emperor's reply."
Ge Yong glanced at Zhang Shou and said, "Yes, yes. Maybe I am carrying the emperor's oral instructions or imperial edicts to Zhu Dalang! Then why are you dragging me away?"
"Teacher, just consider this as doing me, your student, a favor?"
Zhang Shou blinked his eyes with a smile, and then said nonchalantly, "It is not your place to meddle in other people's business. Since he didn't mention it to me beforehand, and I know nothing about the Linhai Camp or the Zhenhai Camp, wouldn't it be a hindrance if I stayed there? If I don't take the opportunity to help you, the teacher, to get some fresh air, I can't find any other excuse to slip out."
"Oh!" Ge Yong couldn't help but glance at Zhang Shou, "You sound so honest! Since you insist on dragging me out, let me test you. Tell me, when Zhu Dalang asked Du Heng to split the Linhai camp into Cangzhou, what do you think he thought?"
"It's easy to guess what Brother Zhu wants to say. I remember Zhang Chen once told me the hidden story behind the robbery of merchant ships in Linhai Camp. It was some merchants in the south who colluded with the commander of Linhai Camp, and they became so cruel. But why did the camp riot happen last year when everyone from the commander to the officers was purged? Some people even went straight to Rongshui Village and came for Zhang Chen and Yingying?"
Zhang Shou knew Ge Yong would not answer him, so he simply asked and answered himself slowly: "Because it's not just the generals who are rotten, but also the soldiers. The current situation of Linhai Camp is a bit like the rebellion of the feudal lords in the late Tang Dynasty. The generals above are replaced like a revolving lantern, and the soldiers below are swarming together. Whoever comes has to rely on them, because they are the cornerstone."
"No matter how many punishments the officers and soldiers have, the soldiers are used to robbing and killing people, so they will not give up. I heard that the former commander of the Ruiqi Battalion, Xiong Wei, has been carrying out a drastic purge since he took office in the Linhai Camp. Two-thirds of the officers at all levels in the Linhai Camp have been replaced, but the soldiers have not been replaced or moved to other places. Is it really useful?"
"What's more, Tianjin is a strategic point for sea, canal and land routes, and one of the barriers to the southeast of the capital. Merchants gather here, and good and bad people are mixed together. The collusion between the military and businessmen has been going on for a long time. As long as the same group of veteran soldiers are stationed there, it doesn't matter whether a group of officers are replaced or not, because the foundation has long been corrupted by various forces."
"I've heard of an idiom, 'change the cage and replace the bird', but now the cage is broken and the bird in the cage has already changed its mind. I think Yingying's brother is probably thinking, why not throw away the previous cage and the bird in it, replace it with a new cage, and catch a new batch of birds?"
Ge Yong's expression changed slightly. He had always known that Zhang Shou, his last disciple, was smart and sharp, but after hearing that he had thought of so many things from Zhu Tingfang's words, he couldn't help but secretly regret that he had no patience. He thought that he should have stayed in Rongshui Village for a few more months. Maybe he could have caught the guy behind Zhang Shou - a genius who had no one to teach him? How is that possible!
He coughed lightly, and then asked with interest: "It's easy for you to say that. Cangzhou is indeed by the sea, but where is the port? Where are the naval forces?"
"The navy is easy to solve. There are still many young men from the major martial arts schools in Cangzhou who have nothing to do but rot. Of course, they are not the mainstream , because many of them have unpredictable personalities. And those spinners and weavers who may lose their jobs and fall into trouble again in the future can actually be used. Besides, maybe not everyone in the previous Linhai camp will be replaced, right?"
"As for whether or not you can swim... Cangzhou is a place with a lot of water, and there are many people who are good at swimming. Moreover, swimming skills can be trained, and water combat can also be trained. Now my Ming Dynasty has no rivals on the sea, and the new Linhai Camp can slowly train. As for the port issue you mentioned, teacher... I think the northern merchants may not be satisfied with the Tianjin layout, and Cangzhou has plenty of manpower to build it."
Until here, Zhang Shou smiled shyly at Ge Yong and said, "This is just my random guess. If I'm wrong, teacher, please don't ask Yingying's elder brother. Even Xu Cheng felt that he and I were not so harmonious, so he asked me for help in the hall. What if Yingying's elder brother thinks that I am speculating on his thoughts, then it will be meaningless."
Haha... I'd never trust you!
Ge Yong rolled his eyes at Zhang Shou in annoyance, but in his heart he was thinking about the memorial from Zhu Tingfang that the emperor had forwarded to him - Zhu Tingfang proposed moving the Linhai Camp to Cangzhou. On the one hand, he wanted to split up the existing generals and soldiers in the Linhai Camp, and on the other hand, he wanted to strengthen the garrison of Cangzhou to prevent the palace from being occupied again. He even mentioned Cangzhou's martial spirit and the availability of military men.
But there are two points that Zhu Tingfang did not mention. One is the redundant labor force caused by the new textile machines and looms, and the other is the money, food and manpower needed to open up the new port.
Although Zhu Tingfang was very knowledgeable, he was born into a noble family after all, so he was always a little alienated from the common people, and he didn't have a deep understanding of the navy and ports. Moreover, he probably felt, like most people, that the navy was not very useful these days. The three words "Patrol Sea Division" had already summarized the biggest characteristics of the navy.
Isn't the Marine Patrol Department just like the Marine Inspection Department that checks people and goods? Moreover...
Do we need navy to fight against the old rival in the north?
Do we need navy to suppress rebellions, eliminate bandits and pacify the people?
Even if it is some less stable small country in the southwest, even if the navy goes there... it is only used to transport troops!
Ge Yong looked thoughtfully at his last disciple, who he had always thought was good at mathematics and was also good at teaching students. He suddenly felt that he had underestimated him. After a long while, he said calmly: "Don't worry, you and Zhu Dalang have worked together to suppress the chaos in Cangzhou. It will not be in vain. Just like you said, the cry of a defeated dog can't shake anything !"
Zhang Shou was a little surprised: "Teacher, don't you blame me for insisting on saving the lives of Xian Yunhe and the others?"
"I've already said it, I didn't come to Cangzhou just to take their lives!"
Old Master Ge yawned nonchalantly, then glared at Zhang Shou: "Seeing you messing around with Zhu Dalang, I really want to strangle you to death. But if I strangle you to death, I'll have to find another closed disciple, which is too uneconomical, so I can only let you do it!"
