Chapter 1061: Relying on the Greatness of the State, Boasting of the Multitude of the People

After Zhu Yijun finished processing the memorials from Yingtian Prefecture, a problem was laid before him that he had to consider.

Qi Jiguang was completely trustworthy, but what about Li Rusong?

There was a very critical issue within this that Zhu Yijun had to consider.

"Xu Wenzhang Wu Qi"—Zhang Juzheng and Qi Jiguang, the two pillars of the nation—were both Zhu Yijun's mentors. One civil and one military, they taught Zhu Yijun how to become a qualified monarch. This relationship of imperial tutors made the bond between the Emperor and the two men even closer.

Just like when Gao Qiyu staged "Shun Also Relied on the Mandate of Yu" during the Yingtian Prefecture provincial examination, the Emperor really did not care much, whereas Zhang Juzheng refused to let Gao Qiyu off for his entire life.

It was obvious that the relationship between Li Rusong and the Emperor was not that intimate; it was a purely monarch-subject relationship, just as Shen Shiying would never dare to act presumptuously before the Emperor.

Yet, the number of times Zhang Juzheng had argued loudly with the Emperor was enough to rival the number of times Zhu Yijun and Empress Wang quarreled.

At this time, the military system needed to change again; it required a force of checks and balances to intervene.

This force of checks and balances was not for eunuchs or civil officials to check the Regional Commander, Li Rusong. Historical experience and lessons were abundant enough: a simple balance of generals was useless. If it were useful, there would not have been so many military governors killed during the late Tang and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods.

The Emperor stood up and searched the bookshelf behind him, finally finding a memorial from Qi Jiguang. This was the memorial Qi Jiguang wrote last time when the border troops were confirming their ancestral origins. The Great Ming had conducted a comprehensive census of the border military towns, returning soldiers who had already left the military to the civilian registry. The Great Ming military registry population dropped from two million to one million, but the pay remained unchanged.

Military pay had to be distributed to the soldiers.

At that time, Qi Jiguang had said that border battalion troops needed to be formed. The reason Qi Jiguang gave was that the border did not just require defense; occasionally, it also required offense. Thus, border battalion troops were very important. Qi Jiguang planned twenty-seven border infantry battalions, stationed at key locations across the Nine Frontiers.

Seeing this memorial again, Zhu Yijun felt completely different. The border infantry battalions not only undertook the function of border offense but also undertook the function of balancing against the Capital Battalions.

Checks and balances established only at the top level also required a balance of strength to make some ambitious people within the Capital Battalions suppress their own ambitions, preventing them from losing control through violence.

Zhu Yijun rummaged for a while longer and took out another memorial from Qi Jiguang. This memorial was written after Qi Jiguang's triumphant return in the sixteenth year of Wanli, discussing the reasons for the rise and fall of the Great Ming Capital Battalions.

The Great Ming Capital Battalions had their ups and downs, undergoing several dissolutions, reorganizations, and reforms, yet no matter what was done, the Capital Battalions would gradually weaken.

The reasons behind this were complex. While battalion troops were very capable of fighting, they were also very expensive. Being expensive was not the shortcoming of the battalion troops; being poor was the shortcoming of the Great Ming. The ups and downs were accompanied by the health of the Great Ming's finances. When the imperial court had money, the Capital Battalions were strong; when the imperial court's finances suffered heavy losses, the Capital Battalions became weak and powerless.

The reason Zhu Yijun wanted to find this memorial was that he remembered a passage in this article.

The ancients once said, "Those with arrogant troops will be destroyed." Why? The great affairs of the state lie in warfare and sacrifice. Those with arrogant troops are contemptuous and haughty toward others, inevitably failing against the enemy, and also failing internally.

Those with arrogant troops often rely on the greatness of the state and boast of the multitude of the people. Externally, they are contemptuous and reckless, losing their footing in advance and retreat—this is a great taboo. Internally, they are arrogant, lawless, and tyrannical toward the people—this is unbearable.

The decline of the Capital Battalions lay in arrogance, and their destruction lay in haughtiness. How could they not be destroyed?

Qi Jiguang's memorial viewed the rise and fall of the Capital Battalions from the perspective that arrogant troops must fail.

In his view, it was not just heavy financial losses, the imbalance between civil and military, or the promotion of the civil over the military that caused the decline and destruction of the Capital Battalions; the arrogance of the Capital Battalions themselves was also a fundamental reason. Externally, they were contemptuous and reckless, easily defeated on the battlefield. Internally, they were lawless, and the people could not bear them, forming a consensus to weaken the Capital Battalions.

The Tumu Crisis was a true portrayal of this. Reckless and contemptuous, they suffered a crushing defeat at Tumu Fortress. The rapid decline in the combat effectiveness of the Capital Battalions was obvious. Moreover, Qi Jiguang cited many examples, mainly about how the battalion troops relied on their strong combat power to commit all sorts of lawless acts.

Looking at this memorial again, Zhu Yijun had a new realization. Why did the Capital Battalions become arrogant? It was actually just these words: "relying on the greatness of the state, boasting of the multitude of the people."

The state had to rely on the Capital Battalions for external attacks, the people had to rely on the Capital Battalions to ensure their own safety, and the Emperor had to use the Capital Battalions to deploy troops. There was no one else to use; he could only use them, so naturally, they would become arrogant.

"Summon the General of Xuan-Da." Zhu Yijun picked up the two memorials, preparing to have a good talk with Qi Jiguang.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well." Qi Jiguang bowed his head in greeting. The eunuch who came to summon him had not said what the matter was, and Qi Jiguang had not claimed illness to decline; he came alone.

Qi Jiguang glanced around simply. Based on his consistent experience, there were no swordsmen around, nor was there any hint of an ambush.

"Sit. I have found two of your memorials, General Qi." Zhu Yijun gestured, signaling Qi Jiguang to sit and talk. He sat beside Qi Jiguang and handed over the memorials in his hand.

Qi Jiguang looked at the two memorials he had written himself and asked suspiciously, "Your Majesty, is there a problem with these memorials?"

"General Qi, did your eyes really play tricks on you, or are you reminding me that with the Wanli Reform, the military system must also continue to be reformed?" Zhu Yijun asked with some curiosity. Zhu Yijun suspected he was being acted upon; the way Qi Jiguang stared at the dragon robe did not quite fit Qi Jiguang's cautious character.

His life was one of walking on thin ice. Just as he was about to reach the other shore, he suddenly did something like this. Zhu Yijun subconsciously thought that Qi Jiguang was acting before him, the Emperor, to remind the Emperor that military reform must be pushed forward to prevent the arrogance of the Capital Battalions.

Qi Jiguang was startled for a moment, then laughed at himself, shook his head, and said, "Your Majesty, if I had any thoughts, I would certainly present them to Your Majesty in person. I am old; my eyes truly played tricks on me."

"People are just like this; they are very fickle."

He even felt a bit fortunate. If this kind of thing happened to another emperor, let alone trusting him with heart-to-heart sincerity, not ambushing him with five hundred swordsmen would already be considered the emperor being broad-minded and showing great imperial grace. Yet the Emperor he served actually subconsciously found a suitable excuse for him.

By this time, the Emperor had forgotten the warnings of Feng Bao, Zhang Juzheng, and Qi Jiguang. These three always told Zhu Yijun that people could not be relied upon because people were extremely fickle, and people could not even empathize with their former selves.

"I rely on you, Sir, and General Qi for your civil and military governance, which is why we have today's prosperity. The Capital Battalions are of great importance. Without doing something like this, I would never be able to make up my mind to continue the reforms." Zhu Yijun had previously rejected Qi Jiguang's memorial on building border field battalions. If he acted like this to remind the Emperor, it would be explainable.

Qi Jiguang shook his head again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favor. I am ashamed."

If his eyes played tricks, they played tricks. Finding an excuse to cover it up would instead arouse suspicion of trying to hide something, leading to a rift between monarch and subject. Qi Jiguang did not choose to go down the slope, but spoke the truth and sought truth from facts.

"I have an idea." Zhu Yijun put the two memorials together and said, "These twenty-seven border infantry battalions should be built, and not just these twenty-seven infantry battalions."

"Two emperors of the Western Jin were captured by the Xiongnu, the Western Jin perished, and the Eastern Jin was established; two emperors of the Northern Song were captured by the Jin, the Northern Song perished, and the Southern Song was established."

"Emperor Yingzong went north on an expedition and was captured by the Oirat, but the Great Ming won the Defense of the Capital, defeated the Oirat under Esen, guarded the state, and even demanded Emperor Yingzong back."

"What Emperor Jing, Yu Shaobao, Shi Heng, and others relied on were the standby troops and anti-Japanese troops from Beizhili, Shandong, and other places. After these reserve troops entered the capital, they defeated the Oirat."

"When there is only one knife, no matter how sharp it is, it might break, be damaged, or hurt oneself. But after having two knives, if one is not easy to use, one can pick up the other."

The Great Ming was just that different. In the Defense of the Capital, even with the Emperor captured, they could still win. The military colonies and guards were exerting their strength.

No matter how capable Zhu Qiyu, Yu Qian, and Shi Heng were, if they had no troops to use, it would be like a clever housewife unable to cook without rice.

Zhu Yijun talked about his views on the Tumu Crisis. Zhu Qizhen led the Capital Battalions and lost, while Zhu Qiyu led the anti-Japanese troops and standby troops and won. The reason for creating this miracle was that Zhu Qiyu had troops to use.

The Great Ming imperial court never lacked troops loyal to the court, even until the Chongzhen years.

How to prevent the Capital Battalions from becoming arrogant? The root lies in those two things: "relying on the greatness of the state, boasting of the multitude of the people."

Zhang Hong was only horrified on the side. It was well known that the Emperor was not good at military affairs. But at this moment, Zhang Hong discovered that perhaps it was because Qi Jiguang was too dazzling that everyone did not notice the Emperor still had some talent in military affairs.

"Allow me to think slowly, Your Majesty. Let me look at the memorials again." Qi Jiguang looked at the two memorials carefully again. He did not have this meaning when he wrote these two memorials, but when the two were put together, it was indeed as the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty is wise." Qi Jiguang really admired the Emperor. These two memorials had been around for many years. That "Memorial on the Rise and Fall of the Capital Battalions" was a memorial from the third year of Wanli. It had been almost twenty years, and Qi Jiguang could not remember the specific content clearly, yet the Emperor actually remembered it and found it out. This was political talent.

The Emperor had an excellent memory and would remember what he had seen. When he needed it, he could find it. This was political talent.

"Does General Qi also think it is feasible?" Zhu Yijun sat up straight and talked with Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang's thinking was also opened up by the Emperor's words, and he spoke eloquently. The two talked for a full half-hour before they stopped.

"I will go back and draft a memorial to report to the imperial presence and discuss this in the court." After Qi Jiguang sorted out his thoughts, he planned to go back and write a memorial to formally push this matter forward. He did indeed have his eyes play tricks, and he could indeed take advantage of this matter to promote further reform of the military and politics, which was conducive to the greater stability of the Great Ming.

To prevent the arrogance of the Capital Battalions, Qi Jiguang's method was from the aspect of governing the army, establishing a military soul of "reporting to the Son of Heaven above and saving the common people below," and using strict military regulations and generous military pay to ensure strict military discipline. But the Emperor's answer was the way of balance, not letting the Capital Battalions rely on favor to become arrogant, which was the key.

"General Qi, wait a moment. I seem to have figured something out." Zhu Yijun spread out one hand, frowned, and thought for a long time before tentatively saying, "General Qi, don't you find it familiar? The border battalion troops we are discussing now, if we go further, isn't it the Five Chief Military Commissions?"

"Eh?!" Qi Jiguang was stunned, and then nodded distractedly.

The construction of the twenty-seven border battalion troops was successful, totaling 80,000 people. In addition to the Nine Frontiers, twenty-seven coastal defense battalions also needed to be established from Liaodong to Guangzhou, totaling 80,000 people, directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court (counting the Capital Battalions), and the scale of the battalion troops would reach 260,000.

In this way, it could prevent the arrogance of the Capital Battalions, the border would have no heart for offense, and it could also prevent the imbalance between sea and land caused by the navy becoming too powerful.

The Great Ming promoted both sea and land, but the profits of sea trade were too great, so the imbalance between sea and land was also very obvious in military administration. This move could be described as killing many birds with one stone.

Just as the Emperor said, after going around in circles, it still returned to the ancestral laws, the Hongwu military system, the Five Chief Military Commissions.

Since the end of the Jingnan Campaign, except for the border, the land of the military colonies and guards in other places had been annexed, and soldiers had to flee to survive. With the flight of the guards in the hinterland, the Five Chief Military Commissions existed in name only, becoming the current situation where viceroys, provincial governors, and regional military commissioners managed military administration.

The Five Chief Military Commissions existed in name only. On the surface, it was because the military nobility headed by Duke of England Zhang Fu lost the struggle for the right to speak with the "Three Yangs" during the Zhengtong years, leading to the decline of this system. But the root cause was the flight of the guards and the final result of corruption.

Because the border was dangerous, the guard system was completely preserved. Preserving this part guarded the Great Ming for two hundred years.

Qi Jiguang pacified the Japanese pirates in the southeast. In the entire southeast, the guard system had completely declined. For high-quality soldiers, he could only set his sights on miners. The Yiwu troops were indeed easy to use.

If these 160,000, fifty-four battalion troops were formed, it would be a return to the Five Chief Military Commissions system.

"The Great Ming has gone around in circles for two hundred and twenty years, and finally returned to the Five Chief Military Commissions." Qi Jiguang's expression was extremely complex. The road ahead suddenly became extremely clear.

Combining the military colonies and guards of the Founding Emperor, the Five Chief Military Commissions, the Capital Battalions of Emperor Chengzu, the battalion troops, and the Son of Heaven guarding the border, and other checks and balances, was the path the Great Ming Wanli Reform and military politics would finally take.

In military affairs, the Founding Emperor and Emperor Chengzu were indeed high mountains that could not be crossed.

Qi Jiguang left the Yanqing Palace. He stood in front of the palace gate for a long, long time, looking at the Imperial Study, watching quietly for a full two quarters of an hour before leaving. He watched for so long, and his inner emotions were very complex.

Qi Jiguang was good at military affairs, which did not mean he knew nothing about political affairs. Although the ministers did not spread it and kept this matter in their stomachs, they would naturally have different thoughts in their hearts.

But the Emperor's summons, and asking him to submit a memorial in the name of the Grand General to continue to promote military reform, gave this matter a final characterization.

Qi Jiguang was looking at the Imperial Study, while Zhu Yijun stood by the window looking at Qi Jiguang. Unlike Qi Jiguang's complex thoughts, Zhu Yijun's thoughts were relatively simple. Qi Jiguang was really old. When they first met more than twenty years ago, how high-spirited he was, and now he was old and frail.

"For the past twenty years, it was Sir and General Qi who protected me. From now on, it is my turn to protect them." Seeing Qi Jiguang leave, Zhu Yijun returned to the imperial desk and said sincerely to Zhang Hong.

No matter what Qi Jiguang's intention was, Zhu Yijun had to let this matter land safely and steadily, and nothing could happen that would harm the posthumous reputation of Qi Jiguang and Zhang Juzheng.

When Qi Jiguang's memorial entered the court, a heartfelt lingering fear immediately arose among the ministers!

On the surface, the trust between the Emperor and the Grand General had broken down, which should have been the best opportunity for the ambitious people of the Great Ming. If the Emperor and the Grand General made a scene, how big would the commotion be!

But as soon as Qi Jiguang's memorial entered the court, the matter immediately became clear. The Emperor and the Grand General were cooperating and promoting military reform!

This memorial was like a snake in the grass. From the re-establishment of the Capital Battalions in the first year of Wanli, the discussion on the disadvantages of the Capital Battalions in the third year of Wanli, the expansion of the army to 100,000 in the sixth year of Wanli, to the confirmation of the border registry, these military reforms were connected together. It was not a remedial measure thought of temporarily.

Moreover, this memorial was submitted by Qi Jiguang, which meant that the monarch and subject were still harmonious.

In the ninth year of Zhenguan, Li Jing took command to conquer Tuyuhun, beating Tuyuhun into a mess. Tuyuhun Tian Kehan Fuyun died from assassination by his subordinates, and his head was offered to the Tang army for a reward. Fuyun Tian Kehan's eldest son killed several rebels named by the Great Tang and surrendered to Li Jing. The Great Tang won a complete victory.

Originally, Li Jing's triumphant return was a matter worth celebrating, but upon returning to Chang'an, Yanzedao Regional Commander Gao Zengsheng and Guangzhou Regional Governor's Office Chief Clerk Tang Fengyi impeached Li Jing for treason.

Li Jing argued strongly, and after Tang Taizong Li Shimin investigated carefully, he determined that the two had falsely accused him and sentenced them to exile.

But after this incident, starting from the ninth year of Zhenguan, Li Jing closed his doors and guarded himself, cutting off guests, and even relatives could not enter rashly.

On the surface, it was a false accusation by the two, but Tang Taizong investigated this case of obvious false accusation in such detail, and the punishment was only exile. Li Jing naturally understood the meaning.

This was the disharmony between monarch and subject. Qi Jiguang's memorial still participated in confidential matters, representing that there was no disharmony between monarch and subject at all.

One thing, from the perspective of the Emperor, the Grand General, and the ministers, was completely different.

It was completely reasonable for the ministers to think this way.

For these twenty years, the relationship between the Emperor and the Grand General was one of life and death. The Emperor was young and the state was suspicious, so he entrusted military affairs to the Grand General. The Grand General actually entrusted all his honor and disgrace to the Emperor.

The Emperor gambled his life, betting that Qi Jiguang would not rebel. Qi Jiguang gambled his family and life and nine clans, betting that the Emperor would not kill the donkey after the millstone was used. This kind of mutual trust where they could hand over their lives to each other was generally called comrades-in-arms.

It was not that there were no such monarch-subject relationships in history, such as Liu Bang and Lu Wan, or Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da, all of whom had such intimate relationships.

Rather than believing that the two were infighting, it was better to believe in the progress of the two joining hands to promote military reform. Looking at it this way, everything immediately became reasonable.

Qi Jiguang's memorial was 7,000 words long, divided into six chapters and three parts.

The first part was the construction of the Nine Frontiers battalion troops; the second part was the long-term planning for coastal defense battalion troops; the third part explained the reasons for doing so, and emphasized that this was the ancestral law of the Founding Emperor and Emperor Chengzu.

His memorial sparked a very extensive discussion. The memorial did not say what to do next after building the sea and land battalion troops, but it was too obvious. The next step was to rely on the fifty-four border infantry battalions to restore the Five Chief Military Commissions system.

The military colonies and guards were not perfect. Its biggest flaw was land annexation. After the means of production were lost, soldiers fled, while battalion troops were strong armies directly supported by the imperial court's finances, with 160,000 people. The imperial court could afford it, and supervision could also be in place.

"This memorial is wonderful!" Wang Jiaping looked at the memorial and said to Liang Menglong, "Wonderful, wonderful! In this way, the Capital Battalions must be strong. Once the branches are strong and the trunk is weak, the Wang Anshi Rebellion will come immediately."

"General Qi said so much, which is a bit complicated. The decline of the Capital Battalions was because they were invincible under heaven, and having no opponents externally bred arrogance. Internally, the imperial court had to rely on them, and they were lawless. Even if there was a military soul, the possibility of arrogance could not be avoided." Liang Menglong said sincerely, "General Qi is truly worthy of being a commander of the ages!"

The ministers and the Emperor had different understandings of the checks and balances between the Capital Battalions and the border. Without external enemies, a potential threat was created internally. If the Capital Battalions were not strong enough, military governors would be inevitable. The Emperor, ministers, regional commanders, and junior officers would all maintain the survival and strength of the Capital Battalions by coincidence.

After all, the historical lessons of the Great Tang were abundant enough. If the Capital Battalions were not strong enough to suppress the border troops, after the Wang Anshi Rebellion, the border became military governors, the capital fell six times, and the Son of Heaven moved nine times.

"I intend to agree with this military system." As a core figure of the Zhang faction, Liang Menglong communicated with Wang Jiaping, the secondary grand secretary, about the implementation of political decrees. If they reached a consensus, the court discussion would be much smoother.

"I also agree." Wang Jiaping said with emotion, "Actually, in the twenty-first year of Jiajing, Regional Commander Mao also had similar thoughts. It's a pity that the imperial court was poor at that time and unable to promote it."

The Regional Commander Mao that Wang Jiaping spoke of was Mao Bowen, the Regional Commander of Military Affairs who conquered Annan in the twentieth year of Jiajing.

In the twenty-first year of Jiajing, Mao Bowen combined his experience in rectifying the border and submitted the "Twenty-Four Articles on Border Defense," which included the idea of building battalion troops on the border, which was quite similar to Qi Jiguang's set of ideas.

At that time, Mao Bowen wanted to build five border infantry and cavalry battalions to deal with the harassment of the Northern Barbarians. He saw the gradual strength of Altan Tian Kehan, and the location of the garrison was also aimed at Altan Tian Kehan. He saw Altan Tian Kehan growing stronger and took precautions.

The reason it could not be done in the end was still because of poverty.

Liang Menglong understood this predecessor very well. He nodded repeatedly and said, "I know. General Qi mentioned this in the memorial. I have to say, it's really good to have money. In our Wanli reign, with a wave of the hand, there are twenty-seven. After these twenty-seven infantry battalions are built, there will be twenty-seven coastal defense battalions."

"Regional Commander Mao only asked for five border battalions to deal with the strength of Altan Tian Kehan, and despite all kinds of grievances, he failed."

Because of this border battalion troop matter, Mao Bowen was falsely accused of treason and sentenced to exile in the miasmic lands, but on the way, the Emperor pardoned him.

Everyone knew the benefits of these border battalion troops, but battalion troops were really expensive.

A total of fifty-four border battalions, 160,000 people. Just the annual military pay for these 160,000 people was as high as 4.5 million silver, second only to the 5.5 million silver of the navy.

"Compared to the Yiwei military system and the Dinghai school system, it is already very cheap. This year's Dinghai school system cost the imperial court 20 million silver. In terms of military expenditure, adding this 4.5 million, it is only 16.5 million silver, still not as much as the investment in education." Liang Menglong felt it was really not much. Now the imperial court's annual revenue was 60 million silver. This little investment was really nothing.

Wang Jiaping sipped his tea and said in a casual tone, as if he didn't care, "I thought the Ministry of War would oppose it. After all, if the Five Chief Military Commissions restore their past prestige, then there will be nothing for the Ministry of War to do."

If the Five Chief Military Commissions restored their past glory and the Great Ming's military appearance dazzled with heavenly might, the Ministry of War's right to speak in military affairs would be further weakened. The Duke of Fengguo was easy to deal with alone, but behind the head of the military nobility stood the Five Chief Military Commissions. Then the Ministry of War would only have the power to parry.

From the Hongwu to the Yongle years, the Ministry of War was basically like it didn't exist. After all, the Grand Generals of those years were Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di.

"I would rather the Ministry of War be gone than see the people suffer because military preparations are not flourishing. The Renyin Barbarian Invasion and the Japanese Pirate Troubles were truly a human purgatory." Liang Menglong was silent for a moment and gave Wang Jiaping a reason.

The Ministry of War gradually lost power. Was there any need for the Ministry of War to exist? But compared to the painful lessons of the Great Ming's barbarian invasions and Japanese pirate troubles, the Ministry of War still approved this reform proposed by Qi Jiguang.

The evolution of the system always changes in the way of least resistance. This was Qi Jiguang's original words. The Great Ming's political framework, evolving to today, was not without reason. Relying on a wise and martial emperor to forcibly revitalize the military, in the end, it still had to return to the appearance of the past.

To make the resistance smaller, Qi Jiguang also clearly stated in the memorial the basic principle that soldiers should not interfere in political affairs.

But this principle was not safe. Violence was the cornerstone of all order. Once violence had its own ideas, it would become strange.

In other words, if the Ministry of War was capable, the Five Chief Military Commissions could not make the Ministry of War lose its own power from the system. But if the Ministry of War was not capable, then it could not blame the Five Chief Military Commissions for replacing it.

For a long time, the Tan Sima of the Great Ming could not even ride a horse. The focus of military affairs shifted from the Five Chief Military Commissions to the civil officials. However, for a Tan Sima who could not even ride a horse, after a long time, the result was naturally that military preparations did not flourish.

It was not until the Jiajing years that the Daoist Emperor ordered the Tan Sima to enter the camp and not be allowed to ride in a sedan chair, but must ride a horse. Since then, the Ministers of War at least had a certain military capability, at least they could ride a horse.

"The Grand Minister of Justice puts righteousness first." Wang Jiaping admired Liang Menglong's courage very much. If this was not handled well and violence lost control, the Ministry of War, which failed to play a corrective role, would have to bear the eternal curse.

At the end of the seventh month, when the ministers were discussing Qi Jiguang's memorial, the Great Ming Global Trade fleet set sail again.

Liu Ji, the captain of twelve global trade voyages, stopped his steps and was replaced by a new captain, Huo Chengxin. This person had followed Liu Ji on global trade voyages nine times and was Liu Ji's first mate, having quite a reputation in the global trade fleet.

The Great Ming global trade fleet set sail this time along with the galleon trade. Zhu Yijun personally went to the Guanchao Pavilion and met Huo Chengxin.

Huo Chengxin said to the Emperor with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, there is a notorious pirate leader in England. This person comes from a family of English sea merchants and has 27 ships under his command, with 2,500 pirates of all kinds. His name is John Hawkins."

"Around the forty-first year of Jiajing, he captured three hundred Kunlun slaves on the coast of Guinea and transported them to Haiti Island, exchanging them for animal skins, ginger, sugar, and various gemstones. He transported these goods back to England and exchanged them for a large amount of wealth, leaping into the upper class of England."

"These Kunlun slaves were different from the Kunlun slaves of the past. These living things had not been castrated."

"This business was done for several years, and finally in the fifth year of Wanli, the Queen of England made a large investment in him, encouraged his trade of uncastrated Kunlun slaves, and bestowed upon John Hawkins a knighthood, allowing him to become a member of parliament. In the same year, he also became an English naval officer."

"Your Majesty, England has established triangular trade in the Atlantic for thirty-two years."

Ordinary slave traders would castrate Kunlun slaves. The purpose of doing so was to maintain the price of slaves and ensure that plantations of all kinds could not obtain cheap labor through self-breeding. But John Hawkins's behavior broke this convention.

Doing so destroyed the market and also made the already bad ocean environment even worse.

"This kind of slave, whose price does not change but can self-breed, has become popular in the Atlantic," Huo Chengxin said with great worry. ===== CHAPTER 1062 =====