Chapter 1657: The Personal Army Before the Tent Welcomes You

"Five million mu of land near the capital, plus two million taels in start-up silver, plus another five hundred thousand taels a year in upkeep, and extra reward silver and compensation silver whenever troops are sent to war. Is that enough?"

Inside the Hall of Literary Splendor, Zhu Youjian was counting on his fingers as he settled accounts with Yang Gao. As he calculated, Yang Gao was utterly overwhelmed with admiration.

Five million mu of land near the capital was worth at least twenty or thirty million taels of silver, plus the one-time investment of two million taels, plus the five hundred thousand taels a year in upkeep, and extra money on top of that whenever troops went to war — this was throwing away mountains of gold and silver!

Yet such an enormous expenditure came out of this young Son of Heaven's mouth with such casual ease, as if it were mere pocket change.

Such an attitude of treating gold and silver as dung — even the old Wanli Emperor could not compare! If His Venerable Self had been able to make up the deficits that the Western Ma and Eastern Li ran up when they marched to Joseon, how could the disaster of Sarhu ever have happened?

But what Yang Gao did not know was that, apart from those five million mu of land, the one-time investment of two million taels of silver and the five hundred thousand taels a year in upkeep meant nothing at all in Zhu Youjian's eyes. Back in the day, his pocket money alone had been a million taels a year! And he had many other ways of getting money — for example, "selling" his son to that rebellious brat for a marriage alliance. Right, that rebellious brat was "the richest in the world," so how could the father of "the richest in the world" lack silver to spend? And outside the Hall of Literary Splendor there were seventy fat sheep waiting to be fleeced! The two clans behind Wei Zhongxian and Madam Ke, plus a pile of implicated relatives, were still waiting to have their homes confiscated, and many great eunuchs in the palace had already submitted memorials confessing their crimes, ready to buy indulgences at a high price.

And the indulgence business had only just opened! Just think of all the corrupt officials and wicked sycophants in the Great Ming — indulgences would surely be in short supply. Zhu Youjian was not worried at all about coming up with several million or even ten million taels of silver!

"The silver and land are enough," Yang Gao said with a frown. "But to put this silver and land to good use, we still need a truly capable office and many officials who can get things done. May I ask whether Your Majesty wishes the Imperial Household to manage the ten thousand household retainers, or the Ministry of War to manage them?"

"If the Ministry of War manages them, can they still be called household retainers?" Zhu Youjian countered, then continued, "But it is also improper for the Imperial Household to manage Our household retainers. We intend to use the old ancestor's method and establish the Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent, commanding Our household retainers and personal guards. This Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent shall be equal in rank to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Command, and both shall be directly controlled by Us."

In the second year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang had formally established the Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent to command the imperial guard. Feng Guoyong was appointed its first Personal Army Commander. Later, the Personal Army Before the Tent was changed to the Chief Military Commission of the Golden Guard Personal Army, and later still that commission was abolished, with its troops reorganized into twelve guard units of the escort personal army — the Embroidered Uniform Guard being the first among them. After that, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's status rose higher and higher, while the other personal guard units gradually fell into decay, and Ming emperors had no choice but to start anew, establishing personal troops under the Directorate of the Imperial Horses to protect their own safety.

But the Directorate of the Imperial Horses had limited management ability and financial resources after all; it could not afford to raise or manage too many troops. So the number of personal troops under the Directorate of the Imperial Horses had always been very limited — the troop quota was only 6,500, just enough to guard the palace. To use them as a main force, their numbers were far too small.

Now Zhu Youjian wanted to build up the personal army on a grand scale. The ten thousand households of "retainers" were only for the cavalry. Besides them, Zhu Youjian also planned to train boy soldiers using Western methods — first inviting foreign officers from Macao, introducing the Spanish tercio, and training twenty or thirty thousand young soldiers. At the same time, he would introduce artillery that could be rapidly deployed in the field and organize an artillery unit, also using young personal soldiers.

After several years, once the personal army was fully formed, Zhu Youjian could lead them to "pacify Liaodong in five years."

And to properly manage this personal army — including infantry, artillery, and cavalry — there had to be a powerful office directly subordinate to the Emperor, one that could control large amounts of land, possess independent logistics and military industry sections, and have reliable financial sources.

Yang Gao's frown deepened. "Your Majesty, where will the military officers who serve in this Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent come from?"

Zhu Youjian smiled. "Since the Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent is an office directly controlled by Us, naturally everything is decided by Us alone! Hereditary military merit counts for nothing in the Personal Army Before the Tent. Moreover, those appointed to office in the Personal Army Before the Tent will not be limited to military officers — civil officials, palace attendants, vassal officials, and even foreign barbarians, as long as We deem them useful, may all serve in the Headquarters Command of the Personal Army Before the Tent. The outer court shall not interfere!"

He was seizing full authority over the Personal Army Before the Tent!

The financial sources of the Personal Army Before the Tent were the inner treasury and the state treasury, so of course the personnel authority had to be held entirely in Zhu Youjian's own hands.

This army was the Son of Heaven's household retainers, after all — naturally the outer court could not be allowed to lay a finger on it.

"Your Majesty," Yang Gao's brow had twisted into a knot, "you intend to let civil officials take posts in the Personal Army Before the Tent?"

In the early days of the Ming, there was actually no notion of civil officials being superior to military ones or of civil officials commanding the military — a civil official transferring to a military post was considered a promotion and an honor!

But by now, civil officials were all high and mighty; who would be willing to enter the Personal Army Before the Tent to serve? Wouldn't that be far too demeaning?

Even if they retained their civil rank, no one would be willing.

Zhu Youjian smiled. "Yang Gao, are you willing to enter the Personal Army Before the Tent and serve as Chief Staff Officer?"

"This old subject could not ask for anything better!" Yang Gao did not dare to contradict Zhu Youjian!

He was not one of those upright, dignified civil officials in the court — when those men offended the Emperor, they merely got beaten with planks.

But Yang Gao was a condemned prisoner awaiting execution in the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

For Zhu Youjian to kill him required only a single word — he had already been sentenced to death; it was only the Emperor's kindness that allowed him to live a few more years!

"Then it is settled!" Zhu Youjian paused. "In the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard there is also a Li Ruzhen, likewise sentenced to death. Go and speak with him, and have him also come serve in the Personal Army Before the Tent. If he is unwilling, then let him prepare for the executioner's blade!"

Li Ruzhen was the third son of Li Chengliang. He could not compare to his brothers, but he at least knew how to select and train household retainers, and might even be able to recruit a batch of old associates.

So Zhu Youjian also intended to give him a chance to atone for his crimes through service — if he was unwilling, then he would simply be killed!

"He will certainly be willing," Yang Gao said. "This old subject will speak with him. He will surely be endlessly grateful to Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian nodded and waved his hand, having Cao Wenxue lead Yang Gao back to the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find Li Ruzhen.

Watching the two leave, Zhu Youjian said to those around him, "Have the guilty officials outside all come into the courtyard. We will speak with them."

This batch of guilty officials were not merely fat sheep — they were also reserve running dogs!

Wei Zhongxian had used them, and not entirely because they were willing to hand over large amounts of silver — silver certainly had to be handed over, but that alone could not make one of the Five Tigers, Five Braves, Ten Dogs, Ten Children, and Forty Grandsons. These seventy people were the core of Wei Zhongxian's eunuch faction; how could they have gotten anywhere without real ability to get things done?

The vast Ming under the governance of these people actually seemed more prosperous than in the later days when the righteous filled the court!

As an emperor without a single soldier of his own, Zhu Youjian naturally wanted to take all these wicked ministers as his running dogs!

With running dogs and hawks and hounds, Zhu Youjian's reign as emperor would be comfortable. But most of the Ming's civil officials were proud and arrogant — especially those who fancied themselves upright gentlemen. How could such people be willing to serve as dogs?

So Zhu Youjian could not afford to be picky. The men in the Imperial Prison could be used, and Wei Zhongxian's eunuch-faction running dogs could be used just the same. Wicked or not was another matter — at least they were obedient and willing to work.

And now he held fatal leverage over them. If they did not obey, he could slap the label of rebel faction on them at any moment — execution and confiscation of property would both be justified.

The seventy convicts had already been escorted into the courtyard of the Hall of Literary Splendor, each one uneasy and anxious. They were no longer the eunuch faction now — they were the rebel faction! Rebel faction members were to be beheaded, and even if not killed, being tossed into the Imperial Prison and tormented for a few years would ruin their families utterly!

"His Majesty arrives!"

At the eunuch's cry, the wicked ministers hurriedly knelt in a sea of bodies.

Zhu Youjian looked at them and nodded with satisfaction. "Good, you have all come at just the right time. Today is the day your old mistress, Her Thousand Years, is to be executed by slow slicing. She is being cut right now in the Hall of Pure Bliss — all of you go and see her off!"

(End of Chapter)