The camera cuts back to the city of Meizhou.

A raging fire washed away the joy of the soldiers to conquer Meizhou and pacify the whole Sichuan.

According to the tradition of the Ming official army, without a head, there is no war exploits to report. The city burned to the ground, and the four gates in and out of the city were completely blocked by the Shizi Guard, which also meant that many people's ideas of taking advantage of the chaos to make a fortune were completely shattered.

The troops returned in vain, and retreated back to the earthen embankment around the city, sending the escaped people to the screening camp while carefully inquiring about the movements of the prince.

The soldiers said that when the fire arose, the prince who was there to supervise the battle did not say a word, and his anger was full of anger. No, when the prince returned to Lingyan Temple, he issued a decree that the armies under the city should be reorganized into brigades. From regiment to brigade, it is a good thing to think that the establishment has been upgraded. However, since it is a whole army, there must be people who are going to be unlucky!

Maybe the soldiers were just guessing, but the generals didn't believe it was groundless.

On the 16th, he received the order to organize the whole army into a brigade, but on the 17th and 18th, there was no news from the presence of the prince, and the generals could not help but feel anxious.

At dusk on the 18th, several generals couldn't bear it anymore and were discussing asking General Liu to come forward to find out the news, when Liu Zhenfan's military order came:

All units participating in the battle, regardless of their size, will all cross the river tonight and report to the camp of the guard regiment. Early tomorrow morning, change into a summer military uniform and meet the prince in Lingyan Temple!

Regardless of his good or bad deeds, what should come will always come!

The generals who finally boiled out the letter hurriedly packed their luggage, took the escorts, and rushed to the Minjiang wharf.

……

In the early morning of July 19, the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the sky was bright.

The generals who had no intention of sleeping put on their brand-new military uniforms neatly, and walked out of the camp tent of the guard regiment one after another, and walked towards the mountain gate of Lingyan Temple.

The mountain gate is a small hard mountain house hall gate, and there is a small flat dam under the seven steps, and the flat dam is surrounded by tall and straight pine forests.

However, immediately passers-by noticed the abnormality of this pine forest:

A large forest, all scorched. There are trunks without branches, and there are trees without bark. If you look closely, you can see that the dead pine trees have been stripped of their bark one or two feet high, revealing the yellow-black heart of the tree. The remaining green in the forest comes from the barren grass and thorns, and the plum trees that are interspersed with them. Looking at it again, the plum tree has hidden many green and yellowing fruits.

Two young officers, one tall and one short and thin, walked along the undulating path towards the mountain gate.

The tall fat man stared at the yellow-green plums, and sighed to his companions:

"Brother Tan, when I fled from Mianzhou to Chengdu, I didn't eat or drink along the way, and I almost starved to death! Fortunately, the sky is endless, and I stumbled into an orchard in the middle of the night. The contemptible man stole a bag of green plums and was chased a few miles by a mad dog. Being able to walk to Chengdu alive is simply an eye-opener! ”

This tall and fat officer, surnamed Shi, is the deputy battalion commander of the Xinjin County Garrison Battalion and the commander of the first company of the basic cadres, and also the company commander of the Xinjin County participating company in the Meizhou Battle.

Fan Changgeng, the battalion commander of the Xinjin County garrison battalion, wanted to personally lead the troops into the battle, but he had to give up the precious opportunity to participate in the war.

The reason is funny, the battalion was assigned a hairless miscellaneous horse that carried the army before the war, and Fan Changgeng, a native old hat who had never ridden a horse, wanted to be Asian on horseback, but was broken and broken on the spot by the old miscellaneous horse who did not understand the amorous style.

Deputy Battalion Commander Shi is not big and not well-known, but his qualifications are quite old. The prince of the world has practiced three hundred and fifty-one Dharma Protector Vajra in Bifeng Gorge, and he is one of them. Therefore, in the eyes of those old generals of the official army who have just joined the protection **, he is a personal soldier of the prince with his hands and eyes. At this critical moment in the reorganization of the army, it is precisely the object of the tie-up.

For example, the officer surnamed Tan next to him was originally a real general of the imperial court and a senior general above thousands of people under one person in the Taiping camp, but he called him a brother and sister by virtue of his similar age.

"Peaches raise people, apricots hurt people, and bury dead people under plum trees! Ru Yi grass mark origin, naturally I don't know! ”

Tan Dusi was disdainful in his heart, but he complimented him: "Brother Shi, that's good luck with you, and the sky is auspicious!" ”

This is a deliberate flattery, Deputy Battalion Commander Shi understands in his heart.

He waved his hand and laughed at himself: "Chen Youfu is born with blessings!" Well, I'm just an old sick man who is greedy and drops his chain! ”

When the officer next to him heard this, his eyes flashed with a complicated look. Deputy Battalion Commander Shi observed the words, then changed the topic with a smile and asked, "Brother Tan, do you know why the pine trees on the side of the road have no skin?" ”

"Please also ask the eldest brother for advice!"

"What advice?" Deputy Battalion Commander Shi said with a smile: "My brother was born rich and noble, and he has never eaten tree bark, so of course he doesn't know.

The homeless people are out of food, and they look forward to the temple soup soup the most. But the Bodhisattva can't change rice, and sooner or later he has to stop giving it.

Those who did not drink the porridge, those who came early, ate plums;

those who come late, gnaw on the bark and grass roots;

The last one to come is to eat Guanyin soil!

Let me tell you, the Guanyin soil is fine, and it looks like white flour to the touch. If you eat it, you can fill your stomach, but you can't pull out the!

If you can't pick it out, you can only suffocate to death! ”

Thinking of the appearance of holding back the feces, the officer surnamed Tan retched for a while. He tried to wrap his mouth and quietly wiped the foam from the corners of his mouth. Seeing that Deputy Battalion Commander Shi was talking and walking away, he walked a few steps quickly to catch up and asked, "Could it be that the eldest brother has eaten Guanyin soil?" ”

"Hey! Miserable?? : Wave the Thunder Seal?? Pen? Protect? Wave the surname? ? 皇浅ぬ chew cow? The cockroach is more than the clams, and the clams are more polished, and the > is p

A large number of people had already gathered on the flat dam at the foot of the stairs, and they were bragging and firing cannons in groups of three or five. On the platform in front of the door, several figures gathered together to talk appeared in the field of vision of Deputy Battalion Commander Shi. Mr. Shu, Mr. Sun and the Song brothers in military uniforms, as well as Mr. Cheng in long robes and official clothes, are all old chiefs who have not been seen for a long time.

"I wonder if I can see Doctor Luo?" Deputy Battalion Commander Shi thought, and couldn't help but speed up his pace and squeeze towards the crowd.

At this time, a red sun in the east jumped out of the Longquan Mountains.

The large and small halls in Lingyan Temple, as well as the pagoda standing on the bank of the river, suddenly shined brightly.

……

The treasure temple in the morning light is quiet and solemn.

The refreshing mountain breeze blows, carrying the water vapor in the mountains, so that the hot flashes of early autumn shrouded in both sides of the Min River are wiped away.

On the flat dam at the bottom of the steps, many benches for monks have been placed to form a neat stool array.

There is also a drum-shaped round stool in the middle of the platform under the eaves of the mountain gate, which must be the temporary throne of the prince.

The officers huddled in pairs at the ends of a stool, passing the time of waiting by blowing nonsense from all over the world.

Liu Zhenfan, commander-in-chief of the Meizhou front, Shu Guoping, chief of the general staff, Sun Hong, director of the army, Wu Tai, director of the general logistics department, Wang Kunshan, director of the general armament, Song Zhenzong, commander of the Chongqing Military Region, Song Zhensi, acting commander of the Chengdu Military Region, Li Cunliang, deputy director of the army, and Zhu Ping, the superintendent of the army. Waiting for the senior officer to sit in front of the large array of stools.

Ma Gan, Minister of Military Aircraft, Cheng Xiangfeng, Director of the Shizi's General Office, Hu Heng, a member of South Sichuan Province, and other civilian officials who accompanied them did not mix in the ranks of the warriors. Dressed in traditional Ming official robes, they sat on the east side of the mountain gate steps. Only the attendant eunuch Zhang Wei, with his hands on the dust, did not squint, standing outside the high threshold.

At four o'clock, the military trumpets sounded in unison.

Zhang Wei shook off the dust, and His Royal Highness the Prince of the World arrived with a scream, and then flashed to the side and bowed his head.

Everyone hurriedly stopped the topic and stood up.

In an instant, the crimson armor filled the center of the flat dam. From above, it looks like a blazing flame rising from the dam.

In an instant, Zhu Pingjian, the son of Shu, pressed the treasure knife in his hand, crossed his waist and strode towards the meteor.

He is still wearing the familiar homespun gray military uniform, but he has changed to the style of the summer short-sleeved military uniform. A wide black cowhide around the waist? The strap is particularly eye-catching, and the hem of the top is firmly pressed into the straight-leg pants with straight creases.

But the most conspicuous thing is the wide-brimmed black gauze helmet hat worn by the prince.

This hat does not have red pompoms or red helmeted cherry blossoms, but a double-eyed cherry pipe is erected in the center of the cross of the two copper flutes on the top of the hat, and two small red and white helmet flags are inserted on it.

The white helmet flag is painted with gold wire with Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the red helmet flag is embroidered with black thread with Marshal Tianpeng.

The four generals of Sui Hu are behind the side of the prince: one on the left has a face as black as paint, and it is Ran Liangming, the leader of the Youyang Tusi soldiers; The person on the right has a yellow face like gold, and it is Yang Chenggang, the leader of the four Tusi soldiers of the Yang family; A person on the back left side has a face as white as jade, but is it a stone? Tusi should attack Ma Xianglin's second son, Ma Wanchun; The person on the right back has a pale-like face, and it is the hereditary Tusima Jing of Lizhou.

The four generals of the ring are all toasts, which shows that the Shu Wangfu has skills. However, all the generals under the rank looked at the other two outsiders. They are divided on both sides of the mountain gate, one is a monk wearing a robe with his hands folded, that is everyone knows the Zen master of breaking the mountain; Another Taoist priest wearing a Taoist robe and holding a magic weapon was not honored.

"The prince of the capital is a Buddha and a Taoist, and it is so! I don't know if that Taoist priest is the Wang Zhenren who peeked into the heavens? The generals were secretly frightened, but they did not dare to turn their heads to each other.

Song Zhenzong in the front row shouted: "All the generals have it!" Attention...... Salute! "All the people saluted the brim of their hats together, and said that they would see the son. At this time, they saw Shizi's right arm bent forward, palm facing the person, five fingers naturally stretched, and stopped in mid-air.

The armor does not kneel, this is the ancient military etiquette.

The guard ** inherited this ancient military salute and developed a new military salute.

According to the latest promulgation of the code of conduct, the armed person salutes and touches his chest with the palm of his left hand to show that "the king is in my heart"; The unarmed salute and touch the brim of the hat with the tip of the palm of his right hand to show "awe".

In addition to these detailed regulations, the biggest difference between the law of military salute and that of officers and soldiers is that if a subordinate salutes a superior, the superior must formally return the salute. You must not snort and roll your eyes, and act arrogant and rude.

However, the discipline is bound by all the warriors in service, and never includes the prince himself. Therefore, when the prince waved in return, many old officers and soldiers who were not familiar with the code of guarding ** couldn't help but show curiosity.

They later learned that this was the prince's favorite return gift in the army, which means: "The light of the sun and the moon shines in all directions!" ”

When the prince puts down his right hand, it is Licheng.

When the prince of the world sat down, the loudspeaker Song Zhenzong immediately shouted the password: "All of them! Sit down! ”

Then, the eunuch Zhang Wei called his name, and Ma Gan, the minister of military aircraft, stepped forward quickly and stepped on the three steps.

Ma Qian neatly took out an ochre yellow manuscript from his sleeve, unfolded it calmly in front of the generals, and read aloud:

"The prince has a wise will (Note 1) to order the Privy Council of the Military Aircraft to draw up a plan for the thorough reorganization of the military ......"

……

The reorganization of the armed forces is essentially to strengthen one's own forces, annex the forces of others, and finally merge the two into one, grasping all military resources in their own hands. Then, transform him, package him, and let the limited resources make the most of it.

To this end, Zhu Pingjin has been working hard.

From Dongmen Renshi to Bifengxia, from Yazhou to Renshou, from Jiangkou to Chengdu, from Xinzheng Dam to Luzhou, from Guang'an to Bashan, today is finally the time for the melons to ripen.

The 351 grass marks in Bifeng Gorge were the earliest military forces established by Zhu Pingjin, and the Yazhou Shouyu Thousand Households Office was the first army of the Ming Dynasty controlled by Zhu Pingjin.

Tianquan's trip allowed Zhu Pingjin to get a large number of Tusi soldiers.

The rebellion of "Except for the Five Worms" and the death of the King of Shu made Zhu Pingjin buy out the six guards of Chengdu and purge the left guard of the Shu Palace.

Zhang Xianzhong's entry into Sichuan left a power vacuum in Sichuan, which made Zhu Pingjin put his hand into Luzhou, an important town in southern Sichuan.

At the end of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Pingjin completed the deep collusion with the Sichuan government represented by the Sichuan Fu Liao tycoon, taking the opportunity of the local rioters rushing out of Bashan to occupy Guang'an.

At the same time, Sichuan's increasingly difficult finances and increasingly difficult military situation caused some marginalized warriors to abandon the civilian government and take the initiative to join the name of the hereditary vassal king Zhu Pingjin. For example, in Sichuan and Chu, the general Jia Denglian, such as the Hunan Wei and the Mahu battalion, this is the case.

Zhao Ronggui's fiasco under the city of Guang'an allowed Zhu Pingjin to remove the backbone of the Chongqing gentry;

Wang Chaoyang mutinied in Baoning Mansion, allowing Liu Zhenfan, the deferential deputy general of northern Sichuan, to replace Gan Liangchen, the general of northern Sichuan.

The successive marriages of Jiangmen in northern Sichuan enabled Zhu Pingjin to fully infiltrate North Sichuan Town, the main group of Sichuan officials and troops, through the channel of the He family.

With these solid foundations, Zhu Pingjin was able to take advantage of the prestige of the victory in northern Sichuan to convene a meeting of important ministers in Boryeong; Only with the help of the Sichuan government can it be determined that "the guards will be abolished and the battalions will be reorganized; The military reorganization strategy of "the civil and military system and the whole people are soldiers".

After that, Zhu Pingjin took advantage of the hands of the Sichuan government and completed the two important tasks of the abolition of the Sichuan Metropolitan Guard Office and the incorporation of the northern Sichuan town through the sharp weapon of "after the improvement of the army".

However, it takes a process to accomplish anything. In just a few months, it is unrealistic to reform the century-old accumulation of the army of a province.

Zhu Pingjin knew that to straighten out the mess, he had to find the thread. In Zhu Pingjin's view, this thread is to use people to manage people.

Employing people to manage people is their most important job. But with so many cadres, it is impossible to manage them alone. Therefore, it is important to choose someone who is good at using people to manage people.

Zhu Pingjin smiled slightly, straightening his straight body even straighter.

Note 1: Some book friends are puzzled by the title of the will of the vassal king.

According to the historical materials of the Ming Dynasty now in Japan, the decree of the vassal king is called "Ruizhi", which corresponds to the emperor's decree called "holy decree" or "imperial decree". There are also many Chinese texts that record the decree of the vassal king as "decree".