In the early days of the dynasty, Yang Sichang received the emperor's imperial edict. As a cabinet minister and minister of the Ministry of War, he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Military and Horses. He commanded the soldiers and horses in various towns in the Central Plains and was responsible for exterminating the bandits. He was given a sword by Shang Fang, but he could act expediently, which Yang Sichang did not expect.

Yes, the emperor ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate 50,000 taels of silver to him, which made Yang Sichang almost shed tears.

As a cabinet minister, Yang Sichang was very aware of the embarrassment of the Ministry of Revenue. The spring tax collection had not yet begun, and the warehouses of the Ministry of Revenue were empty. Even the salary of the civil and military ministers of the DPRK could not be guaranteed, and there was no way to get money and food. The fifty thousand taels of silver

, I’m afraid it wasn’t the money appropriated from the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue, but the money the emperor took out of his own pocket.

In fact, the emperor has no money, and the expenses in the palace have been repeatedly reduced to the point where they can no longer save money.

After all, Yang Sichang was the Minister of War and knew the situation in the Central Plains. When the cabinet discussed how to deal with Xiong Wencan, the former governor of the five provinces, in accordance with the emperor's request, Yang Sichang had already begun to think about what he should do if he was responsible for exterminating the bandits.

As a cabinet minister and the Minister of War, he was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. This arrangement was not unprecedented. When the Tatars of the Later Jin Dynasty entered the Pass to fight, the Commander-in-Chief Lu Xiangsheng was defeated and died. Liu Yuliang, the Second Assistant to the Cabinet, once served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and was fully responsible for it.

Matters of resisting rogue bandits.

After analyzing the situation in the Central Plains, Yang Sichang was worried about many things, but the one thing he was most worried about was the dispatch of supervisory troops.

During every expedition, while appointing the commander of the army, the emperor would also appoint a supervisor. The supervisor would be a middle officer, who would supervise the officers at all levels in the army on behalf of the emperor, including the commander-in-chief. The supervisor would control the army's food, grass and pay, and had very great power.

, if the military commander does not have the sword of Shangfang in his hands, he will have no power at all, and everything must be subject to the arrangements and deployment of the supervisory army.

When Lu Xiangsheng was appointed as the Grand Governor, commanding the troops of the world to resist the Tatars of the Later Jin Dynasty, and Gao Qiqian was the supervisor of the army, Lu Xiangsheng did not have Shangfang's sword in his hand, so he could not mobilize the army at all.

Yang Sichang was too familiar with the mysteries of this. Although he held Shang Fang's sword and had the power, he knew very well that the lieutenant general who served as the supervisor of the army was very close to the emperor and gained the emperor's trust. If it was because of the military personnel,

Regarding the issue of authority, there was a conflict between the commander and the supervisor. Regardless of the outcome of the expedition, the commander had laid hidden dangers for himself.

In the process of conquest and fighting, the general must have absolute power, so as to ensure that the military orders are carried out to the letter. If there is a conflict between the general and the supervisor, I can't imagine what will happen.

What impact did it have on the military?

On the second day of the first lunar month, Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, presented a memorial to Chen Yansui. There were officials such as garrison guards, military supervisors, military personnel, and governors in various places. Each had their own powers. Once an incident occurred, it was difficult to unify the powers and responsibilities.

, and may even form constraints with each other. This situation cannot continue, lest it delay the conquest. Therefore, Yang Sichang suggested that all local military affairs should be under the control of the general military officer. If there is a guard in the army or city,

The final military decision-making power lies in the hands of the military supervisor and the commander-in-chief.

This memorial went from the emperor to the cabinet, then from the cabinet to the emperor, and finally returned to the cabinet.

The emperor did not deny this memorial, but he did not clearly express his support.

It should be said that Hong Chengchou is still a bit brave. Who doesn't know that the supervisory army supervises military officers at all levels on behalf of the emperor. Although the supervisory army nominally does not intervene in military affairs and does not command operations in principle, the supervisory army actually controls everything. This is

It has become a common practice and everyone agrees that the memorial proposed by Hong Chengchou is undoubtedly to remove the supervisory army from the order of commanding operations and concentrate wartime power in the hands of the military chief.

The memorial also pointed out a shortcoming of the Ming Dynasty, which was the shortcoming of the governor commanding the commander-in-chief to fight. According to the rules, the commander-in-chief led the army into a certain place to fight, and he should have independent military command authority. The actual situation was not like this.

Military officers are subject to the control of the local governor. The governor can directly command the commander-in-chief and issue combat orders. The commander-in-chief must obey and dare not disobey, otherwise he is likely to be impeached by the governor.

You must know that the status disparity between civil servants and military generals in the Ming Dynasty is huge. When a first-grade military general sees a third-grade civil servant, he must salute.

The truth put forward by Hong Chengchou is undoubtedly correct. Whether it is the civil and military officials of the Manchu dynasty or the local feudal officials, they all agree with this point of view in their hearts. However, because of their own interests or considering the impact, they do not

Someone would write such a memorial to the emperor and the court.

When the cabinet discussed this memorial, their opinions were basically unified. They all believed that Hong Chengchou's memorial was well written and the emperor should issue an order to allow it to be implemented. However, the cabinet's suggestions have never been approved by the emperor.

This time, Yang Sichang went to the Central Plains as the commander-in-chief of the army to command the army to exterminate the bandits. He believed that the opportunity had come. If he could ask the emperor to grant this memorial, he could save a lot of money in the next process of commanding the army.

It saves you a lot of trouble and unnecessary details.

At the end of the morning session, Yang Sichang followed the chief minister of the cabinet, Liu Yuliang, and others to the side hall.

The emperor is already waiting in the side hall.

Everyone entered the side hall, and the emperor looked at Yang Sichang, who was standing on the right side of the group, and spoke with a smile.

"Wen Ruo, I believe you will be able to lead the army to wipe out the bandits..."

Yang Sichang did not show any pretense, he cupped his fists and spoke to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I will do my best to stabilize the situation in the Central Plains..."

Yang Sichang's answer has changed significantly compared with the last time. Last time, he only talked about resisting the rogue bandits. This time, he talked about maintaining the stability of the Central Plains. Of course, there is a big difference between maintaining stability and completely annihilating the rogue bandits. Let the rogue bandits not

No matter how violently they plunder, they can still maintain the stability of the Central Plains.

Although Yang Sichang was still a cabinet minister, his main responsibility was already the military governor, responsible for exterminating bandits. From the moment he received the imperial edict, he no longer needed to worry about cabinet matters or the matters of the Ministry of War.

So after receiving the emperor's encouragement, Yang Sichang could retire and return home to prepare for the expedition.

However, Yang Sichang did not leave immediately.

Zhu Youjian felt strange, looked at Yang Sichang and spoke again.

"Wen Ruo, if you have any other requests, please put them forward."

What Yang Sichang was waiting for was the emperor's words. He clasped his fists again and spoke without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, I thought of the memorial written by Lord Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides in the first month of the first month, in which the chief military officer was in charge of all affairs of the army during the war. I think this memorial is sincere and the suggestions are very pertinent, and the imperial court can adopt it..."

All eyes were focused on Yang Sichang, including Zhu Youjian's eyes.

During the Ming Dynasty, things that made sense were not necessarily implemented, and things that seemed unreasonable were actually popular. Yang Sichang should have understood this.

There was a hesitant look on Zhu Youjian's face.

He had read Hong Chengchou's memorial several times. It should be said that the suggestions put forward by Hong Chengchou were feasible and in line with the actual situation. However, Zhu Youjian was worried that if the memorial was approved, the supervisory army would lose control of the army.

Once the supervisory army obeys the orders of the commander-in-chief, it means that Zhu Youjian himself has relaxed his control over the army.

Hong Chengchou's memorial made it very clear that the chief military officer was only responsible for all military matters during wartime, that is, the chief military officer made the decision during the war, and others could make suggestions, but they must obey the chief military officer's orders.

Decision, these people who obey the decision of the commander-in-chief include military supervisors, governors, etc.

There is another meaning that Hong Chengchou did not say, that is, the commander-in-chief must obey the governor's dispatch, because Hong Chengchou was originally the governor of the three sides. If he said this directly, it would be suspected of fighting for power for himself.

Logically speaking, Zhu Youjian should play it accurately.

But Zhu Youjian's worries are also obvious. He is very aware of the capabilities of the civil and military officials below him. If this memorial is approved, the people below will definitely make full use of it. According to the memorial, he will ask the military supervisors and governors not to interfere in military affairs.

Seeing the emperor's hesitant expression, Yang Sichang spoke again confidently.

"Your Majesty, I think Master Hong's memorial is quite reasonable. During the battle, the chief military officer or the governor is the military commander. He is familiar with the situation on the battlefield and can make accurate judgments. If someone else suddenly intervenes, it will definitely delay the war and avoid the enemy.

The emergence of this situation means that the commander-in-chief and the governor-general will make the final decision during wartime. As for other aspects, I think we should proceed in accordance with past requirements..."

Yang Sichang's explanation was very clear. The implication was that the supervisory army was responsible for military pay and food matters, and the emperor could still control the army through the supervisory army.

Zhu Youjian let out a long sigh and finally spoke.

"I think Hong Aiqing's memorial is reasonable, so I'll go ahead with it. The cabinet will discuss it and come up with the terms..."

Zhu Youjian did not finish the rest of the words.

When Yang Sichang left the side hall, he had a smile on his face.

Although going to the Central Plains this time was a fire pit, Yang Sichang was still a little confident. He was not without troops. There were more than 10,000 Qin army sergeants stationed in Xi'an Fucheng, and nearly 10,000 Liaodong frontier troops stationed in Luoyang. These are all

Also available for deployment are Zuo Liangyu from Huguang and He Renlong from Shaanxi. They fight bravely and are fully capable of dealing with rogue bandits.

As for winning independent decision-making power, Yang Sichang was even more happy. As expected, the emperor did not send any supervisory troops. Yang Sichang's goal was completely achieved, concentrating power in his own hands.

What Yang Sichang didn't know was that any decision was a double-edged sword. In terms of highlighting the role of military chiefs on the battlefield, Hong Chengchou had selfish motives for proposing this memorial. Yang Sichang also supported this memorial in front of the emperor.
Chapter completed!