Volume 2: Soaring! The Overlord of the Region Chapter 250 New Youth Officers Corps
"Commander Cao, Commander Cao, please wake up. His Highness is summoning you now."
"Hmm? Oh, Eunuch Fang, what time is it now?"
"Five twenty-three in the morning."
"Hiss~Your Highness has been busy all night?"
"Yes." Looking at Cao Wenzhao, who had just stood up and whose official uniform was all wrinkled, Fang Zhenghua simply stepped forward to help Cao Wenzhao tidy up his clothes: "Commander Cao will meet His Highness later. Try to explain things as quickly as possible, and then..." He glanced at Li Chunzhong who was still sleeping soundly beside him, and shook his head helplessly: "Later, I will directly serve breakfast to this young master, and then urge him to rest."
"Yes, I understand. Please remind Your Highness to take care of your health every day. Your Highness's health is related to the well-being of billions of people in the entire Ming Dynasty."
"Of course we know, Commander Cao, please."
When Fang Zhenghua went to call Cao Wenzhao who was resting in the next room, Zhu Youdong was washing his face again with the help of another young eunuch, and then eating a little food to fill his stomach.
Of course, he was not so busy every day, but to be honest, he could now understand the hardships of the Ming emperors after Zhu Yuanzhang. He could also understand why the power of the cabinet and the Imperial Household Department became so great.
But it won't work. With the system of the emperor, the Imperial Household Department, and the cabinet running to this point, the entire country is on the verge of collapse. At this time, we must show the enthusiasm of Taizu in the past, do everything personally, and then it is possible to reverse the situation.
If he were to slack off from work and take a break at this time, it might not be long before he could rest forever.
"Your Highness, I, Cao Wenzhao, greet you."
"Yeah." He patted his forehead and asked, "Which thousand-household unit went to Jizhen for training last month?"
"The 7000th Division."
"Oh, Huang Degong's team. Well, Ma Shilong's Thousand Household Team has been training for three months. How much damage was suffered?"
"Seven people were killed in the battle, and 23 people were disabled and had to retire. Forty-five war horses were lost, and about 20,000 bullets were consumed. There were seven battles in total, and 1,325 Tatars were killed or beheaded, and 3,620 were captured. Among the prisoners, more than 2,300 were women, children, the elderly and the weak. According to your highness's rules, we sold the young women and children to the Jurchen tribes in the Songnen Plain. The old ones were given a poor horse and let them walk deep into the grassland by themselves..."
"Well, not bad. Has that Lindan Khan started to gather his people?"
"Your Highness, when our rotation team was at its furthest point, we were five hundred miles from Jizhen to the depths of the grassland, and we did not find any signs of the enemy gathering."
"Hey, this weakling! I've bullied him so much, but he still doesn't want to gather his main forces to fight! Well, in addition to sending Huang Degong's new Thousand Household Team out for training, I'll also send Zhao Lujiao's Thousand Household Team out."
"Yes, I obey your command."
After the Jurchen problem was temporarily solved, the Mongolian problem naturally became important. Of course, Mongolia at this time had indeed become somewhat weak due to the continuous military, political and especially economic attacks from the Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years. However, the mobility it is not reasonable to be on guard against thieves for a thousand days.
However, the peoples on the grasslands all live by following water and grass, and their residences are extremely scattered. If we want to find a general solution to the Mongolian problem, we must, like Zhu Houzhao did in the past, attract the Mongolian Khan to lead the main force south, and then the two sides will have a decisive battle to decide the outcome.
Therefore, Zhu Youdong's plan was to send the thousand households of Henghai Guard to Jiliao and Xuanda for rotation training, and to actively carry out attacks deep into the grasslands to stimulate Lin Danhan. As long as Lin Danhan could issue a Khan's order to gather the strong men of various tribes in the southern Mongolia to go south, Zhu Youdong could lead the entire Henghai Guard to the north and launch a thundering attack.
In fact, the current Henghai Guard has expanded to ten thousand households, with a total of 12,500 soldiers, more than 3,000 auxiliary personnel such as military doctors, cooks, craftsmen, clerks, and long-term military laborers, 5,000 Western and local hybrid war horses, 30 eight-pound cannons, and 12-pound cannons. In Zhu Youdong's conception, this is the standard division of the Ming Dynasty in the next ten years, before there is a revolutionary change in weapons such as gunpowder, firearms, and cannons.
Next, the king and his minister had a detailed discussion on various issues within Henghaiwei, including training, soldier dynamics, weapons consumption, etc.
By seven in the morning, the two had said almost everything they needed to say. Zhu Youdong asked, "Tell me, how far have you and Zhao Huan's granddaughter come to in their marriage?"
"Hehe..." Cao Wenzhao shyly tapped his head: "Originally, we were planning to get married in February this year, but didn't the Queen Mother pass away? After the national mourning period is over, we will get married."
"Yes, you and Liu Zhaosun are holding my swords. One of you married the granddaughter of the Minister of Personnel, and the other married the granddaughter of the Minister of War. You haven't brought shame to me."
"This is all due to your cultivation and support. If your Highness had not specifically asked me to come to Henghai Guard to take up my post, I would probably still be starving in Liaodong."
"Gold will always shine. I just let you shine earlier. But, Wen Zhao."
"Your Highness, please give your instructions."
"I want you to focus on studying the rise and fall of military systems throughout the ages. One very important point is that if soldiers stay in a prosperous place like the capital for a long time, they will inevitably be contaminated by the mundane world and eventually become corrupt and degenerate."
"Your Highness is right. I am also very concerned about this. But I have to admit that since Your Highness gives us a high salary, our soldiers don't have to worry about their families' lives, so they can devote themselves to training and combat. Officers at all levels have higher salaries and are not easily corrupted by small favors. In addition, in addition to sending a thousand households to the palace to guard Your Highness every month, the remaining thousand households are stationed at least thirty miles away from the capital. The military police are always patrolling, the night schools are always educating, and they are constantly training in the border towns. Therefore, I dare to guarantee that as long as Your Highness needs it, the Henghai Guards will always be the sharpest knife that Your Highness can trust!"
"Okay, let me tell you one more thing. I plan to build a new army based on the standards of Henghai Guard. You must strongly support this and don't be reluctant to use the best talents in the guard."
"I am terrified. Everything from Henghaiwei to the outside, including me, belongs to Your Highness. If Your Highness wants to form a new army, I will definitely support it with all my strength. Even if you want me to rebuild Henghaiwei, there will be no problem at all."
"Okay, I'm glad you have this determination."
After Zhu Youdong finished speaking, he clapped his hands and said, "Fang Zhenghua, go call Li Chunzhong over."
After Li Chunzhong came in, Zhu Youdong said, "I plan to build a new army with students from Fangshan School and students under the age of 18 from the Daming Military Academy as the main officers, and strong and capable refugees from various places who are difficult to resettle as soldiers. The commander of this new army is Li Chunzhong."
"Ah?" Li Chunzhong panicked upon hearing the news: "Your Highness, I am only eighteen years old this year, and I am only a hundred households in Henghai Guard. I am afraid that some people will be resentful if you promote me to be the new commander without considering so many thousand households."
"You bastard." Cao Wenzhao patted Li Chunzhong's shoulder vigorously. "Didn't you hear that? All the officers of the new army are young men from Fangshan or the Military Academy. What does this mean? Your Highness wants to establish a brand new youth group! For such an army, who else is qualified to be the commander except you, the companion who grew up with Your Highness?"
