Ma Wensheng also said: "It is not necessary to worry about it, but it is only one step away. ”

"This step, the thief wants to take, it is not very easy; It will not be easy for me to stop the thief from stepping forward. Youtang said.

"What His Royal Highness the Crown Prince means, I want to stop the thief from stepping out, it's not easy, right?" Bian Yong asked.

"You can say the same thing." Youtang Road.

Feng Guan shook his head and said, "Please ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to discuss it in detail." ”

"Okay." Youtang responded, "It's not easy for me to stop the thieves from taking this step, and it's still those two sentences: the armament is not sluggish, and the food is insufficient." I'm in such a situation, I have to worry about it! ”

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is here today to discuss these two matters, right?" Feng Guan guessed.

"Although both things are worried, what I want to discuss today is only one thing." Youtang said, asking, "What do you three know about it?" ”

"It should be that there is not enough food to be stored." Bian Yong said.

"Makes sense." Ma Wensheng agreed.

"How so?" Youtang asked.

"Don't you hear that the ancients have not moved, and the grain and grass go first?" Marven said, "Today, the treasury of various places has not been enriched; The people of Shaanxi have not been revived; The transfer of supply and transmission is not relied upon, and it is a matter of discussion. ”

With every word he spoke, the gloom on Youtang's face became heavier, but in the end he shook his head.

"Your Highness wants to discuss the lack of military preparation?" Bian Yong asked.

"Makes sense." Ma Wensheng echoed.

"How so?" Youtang asked.

"Don't you hear the ancients: The safety of the world is the cultivation of military equipment?" Ma Wensheng said, "Today, the chief military officers of Gan, Liang and other places have played the imperial court, and the people have invaded the border, or fifty or sixty people, or one or two hundred people. Dozens of people dared to invade the realm, and the lack of armament can be seen, and it is time to discuss it. ”

Before Youtang could say anything, Bian Yong reproached: "How can Master Ma come from left and right? ”

"Left and right?" Ma Wensheng was stunned for a moment and said, "I'm not here yet. ”

Bian Yong thought about it, but it wasn't! It was he who said that His Highness wanted to discuss the shortage of food, and it was he who said that His Highness wanted to discuss the lack of military preparation, but Ma Wensheng was just explaining his statement. Thinking of this, he smiled: "The old guy is ignorant, and it is difficult for you to play a round." ”

When everyone heard this, they laughed.

Youtang said: "Actually, the military equipment is not sluggish, and the grain is insufficient, and the two things are equally important; However, I was in charge of the military department of the two capitals, and I thought more about armaments.

Take Nanjing as an example, it is the fundamental place of the ancestors, and it is garrisoned by important military ministers and eunuchs, and Sima is the counselor in the south.

Nanjing has a large teaching field in the south of the city and a small teaching field in the city. In the old years, those who sat in the camp and exercised were all honorable and noble ministers, and I was in charge of the Nanjing Military Department, but I could sit in the camp and manage the exercises when I saw a command, and occasionally I saw a commander; The military ministers with the rank of governor went to the teaching field to take a turn, which was like a rarity.

The official army of Nanjing is weak, just imagine, how can you expect it to be strong if the drill is like this! ”

"What is the way for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to bridge the seams?" Ma Wensheng asked.

Seeing that Bian Yong was about to speak, Youtang asked, "What is Lord Bian's opinion?" ”

Bian Yong said unceremoniously: "According to His Royal Highness the Prince, there are important ministers in Nanjing City, but the important ministers do not perform their duties. In my opinion, the garrison officers inside and outside Nanjing must work together to harmonize with each other, and take turns to teach the commanders to practice. In this way, the upward and downward effects will be effective, and the military horses can be strong. ”

"Lone also thinks, this is the first thing to change." Youtang said, turning to Feng Guan, "Lord Feng, you said that the safety of the world is the cultivation of military equipment; You also tell me, how should Nanjing repair its military equipment to alleviate the worries of the Nine Pillars of the South and protect the country's business for 10,000 years? ”

"To protect the country's 10,000-year-old business, we must cultivate military equipment in Beijing." Feng Guan said.

Youtang was refuted, and he was not unhappy, because the focus of his discussion was also how to cultivate military equipment in the capital, but the capital had been controlled by Wan'an Wangzhi, and his father only listened to them, and he was helpless but unable to speak, so he mentioned the situation in Nanjing in passing.

"Okay, please talk about the country's armament." Youtang changed his words.

Feng Guan then talked about the past and the present: "When Emperor Taizu was the emperor, although he did not take Beiping as his capital teacher, he never forgot to practice martial arts and defend Hu.

Therefore, there is a heavy penalty for those who serve in the army privately, and there is a prohibition for those who borrow a horse privately. To Emperor Taizong, moved the capital to Beiping, and paid special attention to the armed forces, with hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers and tens of thousands of healthy horses.

At that time, Emperor Taizong personally went to the teaching field to practice, and he never slackened. As for the thousands of miles out of the Sai, it is even rarer than the previous generation. After the Xuande period, more than half of the veterans died out, and the military equipment began to worry.

Therefore, there is a misfortune of civil engineering, which makes the sergeants consume, ten to four or five, and so far people are ashamed and have not been able to snow. Although the officials have repeatedly cleaned up, they have responded to the story and cannot make up the original amount. ”

"The lack of military numbers cannot be attributed to a lost battle." Bian Yong interjected.

"That's what Master Bian said." Feng Guan responded, "I think that the shortage of military quotas, in Jingwei, is mostly due to the service of the various yamen in the inner government, which often occupies tens of thousands at a time, and the number of people in the camp is only seventy or eighty thousand; In the south of the Yangtze River, most of them transported grain with guards, and the rest were prepared along the coast; The soldiers of Jiangbei also had to carry grain for the service, and the rest came to Beijing to prepare for the border. Therefore, there is a serious shortage of internal defense, and the defense is almost empty. ”

"Lord Feng's discussion is a little messy, it's better to discuss the Beijing camp." Youtang heard that something was wrong, and forgot that he had asked Feng Guan to talk.

"Yes." Feng Guan responded, "The Beijing Army originally trained with three battalions: the Fifth Army, the Three Thousand Army, and the Divine Machine; Later, due to the shortage, the recruitment could not be gathered, so 12 regiments and battalions were set up. There are 120,000 elite soldiers standing on duty, and they are not allowed to serve on errands, and they are dedicated to cultivating their spirits. This is the advantage of setting up regimental battalions. However, there are also concerns about the establishment of regiments and battalions, that is, there are no more conscripted troops in the Beijing division except for regiments and battalions. In recent years, regiments and battalions have been reinstated. As in the previous years, the three battalions were transferred to 10,000 or 20,000 people for each major project. A large-scale work, which lasts for two or three years or even longer, is often the result of 10,000 or 20,000 people who have not yet returned to the team and another 10,000 or 20,000 who have been transferred to serve in the army. Just imagine, how many times is 120,000 people enough to be drawn? Therefore, the fatigue of the sergeants in Beijing is even worse today. ”

"Yes, the disadvantages of occupying the army will not go, and the Beijing army cannot be said to be strong." Youtang said.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's statement about the shortage of the Beijing army is very exciting; But I think that the cultivation of military equipment is fixed in the army, and especially in the horse. Bian Yong had another opinion.

"Really? Please be careful. Youtang said.