Chapter 164

No factions in the court, and everything is strange.

The history of officials accepting dual leadership is long-standing; one is to be loyal to the sovereign, and the other is to be loyal to the patron.

The former has remained unchanged for thousands of years, while the latter finally had a considerable degree of resolution after the Yuan and Ming dynasties.

A considerable degree of resolution also means that it still has deep-rooted foundations.

Especially for military generals.

In Qi Jiguang's heart, his two patrons, Hu Zongxian and Tan Lun, had pivotal positions, and it is no exaggeration to say they were like teachers and fathers.

Just talking about the latter.

When Tan Lun was the Viceroy of Jizhou-Liaodong, he took Qi Jiguang to Jizhou-Liaodong to serve as Regional Commander.

After all, being parachuted in is different from the southeast where Qi Jiguang had operated for many years; Tan Lun was a civil official and was not hindered in his work, but military officials inevitably faced difficulties.

This was simple; Tan Lun waved his hand and directly wrote to Emperor Muzong, letting Qi Jiguang only be under the command of the Viceroy.

The previous Emperor followed the advice: "Officials of prefectures and counties shall not hinder him; those who violate this shall be reported by Lun for punishment."

Since it had come to this, Tan Lun simply took a step further and issued a clear order to the army: "All officers of the town, including regional, deputy, assistant, and mobile commanders who are under the command of the Viceroy, are also under the command of Jiguang."

It was dual leadership.

But Qi Jiguang was only a Regional Commander; with such a high status given, what could he do if other Regional Commanders didn't listen to military orders?

Therefore, Tan Lun again memorialized the previous Emperor, creatively granting Qi Jiguang the title of "General Manager" of the four towns' military affairs, and transferred the Jizhou Regional Commander Guo Hu away.

The personnel problem was solved, but what if the combat effectiveness of Jizhou-Liaodong was not good?

Tan Lun said again, "China's long-term skill is nothing like firearms; I want to train 30,000 troops. Now the autumn defense period is urgent, please select 3,000 Zhejiang troops to meet the urgent need."

So Qi Jiguang openly took 3,000 old private troops from Zhejiang to Jizhou-Liaodong.

Tan Lun's trust and respect for Qi Jiguang can be seen.

Correspondingly, Qi Jiguang naturally respected Tan Lun very much.

At this time, the Emperor mentioned Tan Lun as soon as they met, and said something about entrusting him, which immediately made Qi Jiguang, who was still feeling uneasy, feel very close.

There was both worry about Tan Lun's health and a strange sense of being adopted.

So much so that he naturally accepted being dragged away by the Emperor.

Zhu Yijun started the small talk with ease: "Has the telescope I sent you been of any use?"

Hearing the Emperor mention this, Qi Jiguang hurriedly replied: "Useful! Very useful!"

"Your Majesty, the telescope can see very far, and it is very useful for scouts, guarding passes, and looking at formations from a distance."

It's not that Qi is flattering; the telescope is indeed easy to use.

Fighting a war is not about setting up a formation and charging; understanding the enemy's movements is one of the keys to victory.

Even if it is slightly helpful, it is a good thing, not to mention being able to see the enemy situation from a distance.

"Easy to use" is already the highest evaluation.

Zhu Yijun was also very satisfied with this, and he nodded with a smile: "I can make some more by the end of the month; I will have someone send you a batch."

Hearing this, Qi Jiguang naturally thanked him profusely.

Zhu Yijun asked some insignificant daily questions, such as family background, military strategy, border daily life, etc.

Qi Jiguang was cautious and answered step by step.

The atmosphere between the two became more and more harmonious.

Zhu Yijun walked in front, looking back frequently, his expression a bit surprised: "Seeing you for the first time today, I only feel that you are not like a military man at all... The scars on the faces and necks of other foreign generals are not few."

Qi Jiguang had a square face, regular features, and a beautiful beard under his jaw; the aura of the battlefield was not obvious, but rather had a Confucian style.

According to Zhu Yijun's idea, if he took off his clothes, it should be all knife scars, shouting about how he had shed blood for the Emperor, that would have the flavor of being experienced in battle.

Qi Jiguang was dragged by the Emperor and couldn't salute, so he had to hold his head high and respond: "Your Majesty, except for the first time I faced an invasion in the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing, in the other hundred or so battles on land and water in the north and south, I have never suffered a disaster, so naturally there are no scars."

Never suffered a disaster... Zhu Yijun couldn't help but look Qi Jiguang up and down.

He couldn't help but praise: "No wonder Tan Lun said that you can be called a hero of the age, and there is nothing better."

"In the thirty years of Jiajing, the long whale flew over the thin sea. The waves kicked the universe, and the momentum wanted to tilt to the southeast."

Qi Jiguang's illustrious reputation in the southeast was truly fought out battle after battle.

This sentence "never suffered a disaster" is truly too dashing.

Otherwise, why would he grab Qi Jiguang's hand as soon as he came up?

With his current solid position, he no longer needs to be pretentious in his actions and words toward those below.

This is even more so for Qi Jiguang.

Does he still need to perform for Qi Jiguang to be loyal?

Thinking this way is an insult to the Emperor and an insult to this famous general.

It was just a whim and acting according to his nature; he had admired him for a long time, and he was happy.

But Qi Jiguang didn't know that the Emperor admired him, so he hurriedly declined: "My strengths are nothing more than the four words 'orders are executed and prohibitions are stopped'; even if there is some shallow merit, it is only because of the brilliance of Hu Zongxian and Tan Lun."

"Even if the Jizhou-Liaodong border was repeatedly invaded last year and could still be defended, it all relied on Viceroy Liu's proper coordination."

Zhu Yijun smiled, looking at this effort to push merit and flatter, where else did he need to spend any effort?

This is a pure loyal minister!

He grabbed Qi Jiguang's hand and finally talked about the main business: "Has the Ministry of War informed you about the military pay?"

Qi Jiguang looked at the Emperor's not-so-tall figure, and in his mind, he thanked Tan Lun, the lecturers, the previous Emperor's protection, etc., again: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Ministry of War said that food and grass will be drawn from the Jizhou-Liaodong granary with documents, firearms, clothes, boots, and horse grass will be escorted by the Ministry of War, and the reward silver is the grace of the Holy One."

"Your Majesty's heavenly grace is vast..."

Zhu Yijun directly interrupted Qi Jiguang's flattery and said helplessly: "Alright, alright, what heavenly grace? My 1.2 million taels of gold-flower silver every year, which part is not the people's fat and cream? I don't want to leave it for the internal officials and court officials to embezzle."

Qi Jiguang seemed moved: "Your Majesty is benevolent."

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "It's not benevolence, it's that your army's discipline is good."

"It was when the reward silver was issued the year before last, and it was secretly investigated that your unit had the least discount, so I wanted to hand it to you personally, hoping to take it from the people and use it for the people, otherwise I would rather use it to repair the palace."

Hearing the two words "army discipline," Qi Jiguang couldn't help but open his mouth and look at the Emperor seriously.

He suddenly understood why the Emperor was so enthusiastic about him just now.

Can he win battles? There are many who can win battles, and Qi Jiguang is not the only one.

Is there a relationship with Tan Lun? Who in the court doesn't have some relationship?

At this time, Qi Jiguang finally came to his senses.

In these years, he had nothing else to be proud of; the only thing worth praising was the army discipline!

There are many generals who can win battles, but the troops who can "stand still from morning to sunset" are truly unique!

It turns out that the Emperor valued this point of his.

Don't look at Qi Jiguang kneeling and bowing to civil officials without any burden; in fact, he has always been a proud person, just that what he cares about is different.

And when a proud person is praised for what he is most proud of, it is the most touching.

Having said that, an Emperor who values army discipline must be a good Emperor!

He looked at the Emperor's figure and said seriously: "The previous Emperor granted me special favor, specially granting me the title of General Manager of the Sizhen' Training Affairs, and rectifying army discipline, which is just my duty."

Zhu Yijun rarely didn't complain about Muzong this time, but nodded with emotion: "The previous Emperor did not treat you thinly."

"Father's grace returns to the son; this time, when using troops against the Duoyan Guard, you must do your best."

Although Muzong was a bit mediocre, he was quite good to his confidants, mainly trusting them.

He was like this to Gao Gong, like this to Tan Lun, and he loved Qi Jiguang because of them.

Don't believe it if you change it to Shizong, and tell him to transfer 3,000 old troops from Zhejiang to a place 200 miles outside the capital, see how he reacts.

Qi Jiguang heard this and hurriedly stated his position: "I dare not fail the high expectations of the two dynasties."

"This time, when using troops against the Duoyan Guard, I can set up a military order! I will surely behead Dong Huli and present it to Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yijun stood still when he heard this, grabbed Qi Jiguang's hand and shook it: "Everyone says you are a trustworthy person; I have enough with this sentence of yours."

Qi Jiguang was moved and wanted to bow.

Zhu Yijun helped him up: "Don't let empty rituals delay the main business."

After saying this, Zhu Yijun finally let go of Qi Jiguang's hand and walked toward the side hall.

Qi Jiguang hurriedly followed.

The two walked all the way to the side hall of the Huangji Hall.

In the hall, several large boxes were placed in the center; the boxes were not closed, revealing naked silver, shining brightly.

Zhu Yijun walked to the side of the box, tapped the edge of the box with his fingers, and made a dull sound.

He looked at Qi Jiguang: "There are 200,000 taels of silver here; I will send someone to your residence later."

"You watch the distribution of this money; it must be distributed to the soldiers."

"Whoever dares to reach out to you on the way, you just cut them down on the spot; if anyone makes trouble, you just say it is my oral instruction."

Qi Jiguang was astonished.

He didn't know if the Emperor was saying polite words or really letting him do so.

Zhu Yijun said seriously: "Don't think I'm joking; if you can't keep this reward silver, you will fail the soldiers below and me above."

Qi Jiguang pursed his lips and suddenly bowed: "I obey the decree."

In an instant, Qi Jiguang even had an impulse to tell all the officials he knew who had reached out for the military pay, and take the opportunity to rectify them.

After hesitating for a long time, Qi Jiguang silently sighed and didn't dare to act on impulse.

Qi Jiguang is a military general who is very good at fighting, and also a commander with a great reputation.

He is also a bureaucrat who knows how to behave.

Even the things the Emperor is helpless about, Qi Jiguang just impulsively disappeared in an instant—it is better to do his own job well.

Zhu Yijun threw a piece of silver back into the wooden box and clapped his hands.

"When using troops against the Duoyan Guard, there are some difficulties in the temple calculations of the Cabinet and the Ministry of War, and I still have to exhort you, General Qi."

Qi Jiguang listened respectfully.

"First, this battle is only for stopping the war, only for using the Duoyan Guard to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, only for suppressing the Tatars for a while; everything is just to prepare for freeing up hands to calmly sweep away the Japanese pirates along the coast."

"Therefore, never be greedy for merit and advance rashly, and burn the fire to the Tumut Khan."

There are still two years left; in history, the Tumut Khan will hold a 60,000-person Khuriltai assembly, attempting to unite the Mongols.

When he is granted the title of "Zasagtu Khan," the southward invasion of tens of thousands of iron cavalry will inevitably happen.

During this window period, the Tumut Khan will not want to start a war easily; he wants to maneuver, to circle between the Eternal Heaven and that Living Buddha, and to fight with the Altan Khan, so he has no time to take care of the Ming Dynasty.

Precisely because of grasping this key, Wang Chonggu prepared to take the opportunity to clean up the Duoyan Guard.

Maintaining restraint requires the tacit understanding of both sides, so Zhu Yijun must repeatedly exhort Qi Jiguang not to cause trouble.

Hearing this, Qi Jiguang was full of doubts.

He was astonished: "The imperial court wants to use troops against the Duoyan Guard; isn't it to clear the eyes and ears of the Tumut Khan and prepare for sweeping away the northern troubles?"

Although the Duoyan Guard has many invasions, it does not pose a major threat to Jizhou-Liaodong.

It exists more as the eyes and ears of the Mongol left and right wings.

If it is just to take action against it alone, it seems less necessary.

He once thought that this was a sign that the imperial court was preparing to use troops against the Tatars on a large scale—not to say immediately, but at least there should be this intention.

He even wrote the memorial—Qi Jiguang has always loved to present strategies; in the four years before Longqing, he successively presented "Memorial on Requesting Troops to Break the Barbarians in Four Matters," "Debate on Requesting Troops," "Memorial on Setting Temple Plans to Seek Peace and Resistance," "Memorial on Training Troops," "On Military Affairs," and other memorials.

As a result, the Emperor now actually said that the central government is only using troops to stop the war.

This greatly exceeded Qi Jiguang's expectations.

Zhu Yijun looked at Qi Jiguang and shook his head with a stern face: "It is indeed to clear the eyes and ears of the Tumut Khan, but it is not to prepare to sweep away the northern troubles at this time, but to let them stop for a few years and not come to involve our dynasty, so that we can free up energy to deal with the Japanese pirates."

"I know your heart for serving the country, General Qi, but before the sea transport is cleared, the imperial court will not use troops against the north..."

The Tumut Khan is eager to move, preparing for a great war; why is Zhu Yijun not?

Why can't we fight in the north now?

Because using troops against the north will inevitably be a protracted war!

For a protracted war, the difficulty is not whether there is money, but because it burns too much food!

Nowadays, the loss of food transported from Lianghuai and Liangzhe to the Jizhou Town is staggering.

Often four out of ten parts are consumed!

Among them, mountain road scattering, moldy changes due to rain, corruption along the way... there are countless reasons.

As for land reclamation or nearby provinces, they simply do not have the volume to quickly make up for the wartime consumption of a great war.

We can only wait for sea transport!

After the sea transport is cleared, large ships can enter Jizhou directly from Zhejiang and Nanzhili.

At that time, food supplies and daily necessities can be easily sent to Jizhou.

Only in this way can we support protracted operations.

Before this, Zhu Yijun didn't even want to touch that Mongol Khan.

And in order to ensure the normal operation of sea transport, we must first deal with the Japanese pirates—it is one thing for each port to have troops to defend, and it is another thing to clear the Japanese pirates as much as possible.

This is the distinction between the lightness and urgency of things.

After Qi Jiguang heard the Emperor's explanation, he was silent for a moment.

Then he slowly said: "Your Majesty, when the Japanese pirates are pacified, will there be a place for me to use my skills?"

Against the Tatars, Qi Jiguang only has national hatred.

But against the Japanese pirates, there is an extra personal grudge.

Since he had memories, the Japanese pirates' harassment of Dengzhou had never stopped, burning, killing, and looting, doing all kinds of evil.

Since he inherited the hereditary position of Dengzhou Guard Commander at the age of seventeen, they had repeatedly invaded the land he was in charge of.

It was also at that time that he wrote the sentence "Seeking nobility is not my intention; I only wish for the seas to be calm" to warn himself.

Now hearing the temple calculations of the central government, how could he not want to fight in the south and north?

Zhu Yijun laughed: "Then it depends on the effectiveness of this battle of yours."

"If you can give the north a few years of peace, it is not impossible; if not, I am afraid Jizhou-Liaodong still cannot do without you."

If you can capture and kill Dong Huli, eliminate the backbone, and then support Chang'ang, turning the Duoyan Guard from the eyes and ears of the Tumut Khan into an appendage of the Ming Dynasty, that is naturally easy to say.

But if Dong Huli escapes, Qi Jiguang will not be able to leave.

Hearing this, Qi Jiguang bowed heavily.

Zhu Yijun helped him up and said casually: "I will continue."

"Second, the Cabinet and the Ministry of War have a positioning for the Duoyan Guard, which is to raise horses with peace of mind."

"So... don't destroy the pasture, and don't keep the cattle and sheep."

If there is no demand, create demand.

If you don't like mutual trade, wait until you are almost starving to death, then you will be honest.

Can the Tumut Khan help? Can he use so much food and livestock to support the entire Duoyan Guard?

Will the Altan Khan help? It's a pity that the right wing is not doing charity either.

At that time, except for the Ming Dynasty, no party can help the Duoyan Guard survive the winter.

This is an invisible chain; even if you don't want to submit, you have to submit.

Qi Jiguang hesitated slightly: "Your Majesty, the barbarians mostly eat cattle and sheep; if there is no food, I am afraid it will be counterproductive."

Zhu Yijun nodded: "So after killing Dong Huli, you must have mutual trade with Chang'ang. The horse price should be based on the price of the Xuan-Da mutual trade, and then add 1.5 percent."

"Our food, cloth, and salt, especially before winter, must be strictly controlled from flowing out."

Forming a habit is more important than anything else.

If raising horses can lead to a good life, the Tatars will not frequently go south to loot.

Of course, the Ming Dynasty does not have the ability to really let the Duoyan Guard live a good life—our own people can't live a good life, let alone the Duoyan Guard.

But you can create a temporary illusion.

Benefit them for a few years first, so that the Duoyan Guard will have the illusion that raising horses is very profitable and can lead to a good life.

When all the necessities of life are controlled in the hands of the Ming Dynasty, the internal submission will be sincere.

What does it matter if you raise cattle and sheep again in a few years? It is not so easy for the nobles to adapt to fine clothes and food and go back.

This is called the big stick first, then the sweet date.

Qi Jiguang pondered for a moment and nodded: "I understand."

After Zhu Yijun finished speaking about the second, he continued: "Third, bring the children of the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School that I sent."

"They don't have to be in key positions; even if they are just ordinary soldiers, I recognize it; in short, they must go to the battlefield."

The Beijing Guard Martial Arts School is compared to the Imperial Academy; if you enter, you can be a military officer, and you don't have to take the martial arts examination.

Most of them are children of small noble families.

Being selected by Zhu Yijun is naturally because they have some talent and were sent to take the fast track.

However, fast is fast, the intensity must be guaranteed, otherwise good talents cannot be polished.

Hearing this, Qi Jiguang showed a cautious look and advised: "Your Majesty, battle is not like other things; I am afraid there is really a danger to life!"

Zhu Yijun looked as if it was a matter of course and asked: "Why, are the children of the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School more precious than the people under your command?"

Qi Jiguang smacked his lips and didn't answer the Emperor's words for a while.

Zhu Yijun waved his hand: "I let them go to be polished, not to be gilded; they have all joined the army, what are they afraid of dying in the line of duty?"

"You can act freely; if there is an unfortunate death or two, the imperial court will naturally have compensation."

He had already greeted the parents before.

Qi Jiguang couldn't beat the Emperor, so he had to take this offensive errand with a bitter face.

Seeing this, Zhu Yijun couldn't help but sigh.

People, there is no one perfect, and Qi Jiguang is no exception—he has been made too good at behaving by the big dyeing vat of the Ming officialdom.

When he meets a minister, he kneels and bows.

As soon as he hears the birthday of a civil official's parents, he goes to find a literary giant to write poems and paint to flatter.

He never competes when encountering things, pushing merit and taking blame.

This almost flattering posture is also where many people feel it is not worth it for Qi Jiguang.

Being so good at behaving naturally has benefits; Qi Jiguang is extremely favored by those in high positions.

For example, the then Viceroy of Jizhou-Liaodong, Censor-in-Chief Liu Tao, Supervising Secretary Wu Shilai, and the then Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War Wen Chun, all recommended or praised Qi Jiguang when they were not familiar with him.

Among them, Liu Tao was also dismissed for corruption, and he still strongly recommended Qi Jiguang before leaving.

Even literary figures like Wang Shizhen and Wang Daokun joined in, writing articles to praise him.

As for how much of this came from condescending comments, it is unknown.

And the disadvantages are also obvious.

Being too good at behaving often lacks the courage to shoulder responsibilities alone.

Zhu Yijun had already transferred Viceroy Liu Yingjie to Liaodong, but Qi Jiguang was still a bit afraid of him.

The Emperor had already said that he wanted to polish the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School, but Qi Jiguang was still afraid of offending the nobles.

This is the officialdom character caused by the status of military officials; flattery is almost a pass for military officials, and Zhu Yijun certainly cannot blame Qi Jiguang.

It's just that I can't help but feel some emotion.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yijun stopped his thoughts, shook his head, and continued to talk about the main business.

The fourth and fifth are all things that Wang Chonggu repeatedly exhorted, related to the Altan Khan and the right wing.

However, documents will be sent to Jizhou Town later, so Zhu Yijun just mentioned it briefly.

After finishing the draft with the Cabinet, Zhu Yijun did not end the topic.

Instead, he pondered for a moment and quietly brought in some private goods: "I heard that there are many Jurchen barbarians in the pasture of the Duoyan Guard?"

Qi Jiguang was stunned, and then explained: "Your Majesty, the Jurchen barbarians are mostly in the pasture of Fuyu, which is also one family."

The Duoyan Three Guards, Fuyu is one of them.

Zhu Yijun rubbed his chin, lowered his voice and ordered: "General Qi, when you conquer Chang'ang, tell him, if it is convenient, see if there is someone named Nurhaci, who is sixteen years old this year."

"If you catch him, I will count it as the money for ten horses."

This guy should not have developed yet, just a small character.

Of course, the progress of history does not change with the death of an individual.

Zhu Yijun is not trying to change any general trend, just happened to meet him, and did it casually.

Qi Jiguang looked suspicious and didn't understand: "Does the central government have any considerations for the Jurchens?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said frankly: "No, I just want to catch him and play with him in the palace."

(End of chapter)