Chapter 36: The System of Supervising the Army

  "I didn't expect Zhong Jinwei to speak up first: 'Your Majesty, I've been thinking that we can't let the Guanning Army's private escape happen. If this kind of disregard for imperial law and order is allowed to set a precedent, other generals will follow suit, and it will be even harder to manage in the future.'"

  "Yes, I wonder what insights Mr. Zhong has?" The Chongzhen Emperor immediately put aside the issue of how to arrange for Zhong Jingwei's entry into the palace, and it was clear that he was more concerned with the current topic at hand.

  Zhong Jingwei first led Emperor Chongzhen to a table on one side and let him sit down, then sat down himself.

  Chongzhen Emperor has become numb to the etiquette here at Zhong Jinwei's place, and he also knows that he comes from a different world. He had repeatedly told himself this before, and had promised not to mind these things beforehand. Besides, I am going to be the master of the restoration, and those who achieve great things do not bother with trivial matters.

  Zhong Jingwei and Emperor Chongzhen sat face to face, then said: "This is one, controlling the logistics of the army, without logistical supplies, it can't be done."

  "I knew that, and all the dynasties have done so." The Chongzhen Emperor thought that Zhong Jiwei had some good ideas, but after listening to him, he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed.

  "It's not like that, I haven't finished yet." Zhong Jinwei said with a smile to Emperor Chongzhen, he knew Emperor Chongzhen would be disappointed: Hehe, I did it on purpose, directly getting to the point, making it seem not cool.

  "The logistics of controlling the army is to make the quartermaster independent, not subject to the military commander, that is, not under the jurisdiction of the commanding general, and also set up a supervisory institution."

  Zhong Jingwei expressed his own ideas and then waited for Emperor Chongzhen's comments, preferably to admire himself.

  "I didn't think so," said Emperor Chongzhen, shaking his head. "I thought it was a good idea, but what you said makes sense."

  Stop for a moment and look at Zhong Jingwei: "I'll tell you about the current situation of our dynasty's inspection."

  Zhong Jinwei was shocked, "How is that possible? How can there still be deserters, embezzlement and deduction of military pay?"

  "There are two supervisory mechanisms in the imperial court, namely eunuch supervision and civil official supervision. Eunuchs were divided into zhenwei taipings (attendant eunuchs), each with their own divisions of fengshou (guards) and jianqiang (gun bearers). Civil officials included zongdu (governors-general), xunfu (provincial governors), yushi (censors), and xun'an (inspectors) who were responsible for supervising the military."

  "Doesn't the governor and the provincial military commander also command troops?"

  "They have the power to command troops and are also subject to supervision by the Censorate. People of various classes all have the right to impeach before Us those who are guilty of dereliction of duty."

  Zhong Jinwei touched his head, seemingly not very familiar with the Ming dynasty's affairs. However, the embezzlement of military funds and salaries by Ming dynasty troops, using state funds to support their own personal armies, seemed like a rather common problem. How did these supervisory mechanisms fail?

  Thinking of the specific situation at that time, he asked Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, how many eunuchs, civil officials and military supervisors are there, or how many people are in an army, what is mainly supervised?"

  Chongzhen Emperor knew that Zhong Jinwei wanted to help him solve the problem, but he didn't understand the specific situation, so he patiently explained: "A general army usually dispatches a eunuch as a supervisor, whose main responsibility is to monitor whether the generals have any illegal situations, and can also supervise the civil officials who supervise the military, such as the governor-general and the provincial governor."

  Upon hearing this, Zhong Jinwei somewhat grasped the situation and waited for Emperor Chongzhen to finish speaking. "While the civil officials initially only had the power to supervise the military, they later coordinated with various generals in command of troops, and eventually also gained the power to lead troops."

  Upon hearing this, Zhong Jinwei spoke directly: "Your Majesty, you think that supervising the army mainly involves supervising the illegal actions of the generals leading the troops, is that correct?"

  "Huh?" The Chongzhen Emperor was somewhat perplexed, wasn't it supposed to be like that?

  "Your Majesty, these military control systems may have been applicable at some point in time, but they are definitely not suitable now. Otherwise, there wouldn't be problems like troops running away and dispersing halfway."

  The Chongzhen Emperor expressed his disapproval: "This time, the Guanning Army privately returned to Ningyuan because I had previously promised Yuan Chonghuan not to send eunuchs to supervise the army. Among the civil officials, since the death of Bi Xunfu, I also promised to let him concurrently serve as the Governor of Liaodong."

  Chongzhen Emperor still trusted Yuan Chonghuan too much!

  "Your Majesty, let's not discuss this. I think in this situation, there are the following difficulties that are deadlocked and cannot be resolved."

  Chongzhen Emperor's heart, which had been slightly disappointed before, was lifted again upon hearing this.

  "If the eunuchs sent by Your Majesty are bribed by the military commanders, it's not that they would dare to collude and create chaos together. However, it's likely that they would collude in embezzling military funds and other corrupt activities."

  The Chongzhen Emperor himself also knew that it was impossible for the slaves he sent out to be of high moral character. He nodded slightly at this point.

  "Second, if the eunuchs sent by you, relying on the power given by Your Majesty, privately withhold military supplies and embezzled military pay, extort and blackmail generals in command of troops, or even give disorderly commands to seize merits, are these things not also possible?"

  Chongzhen Emperor nodded again, but in his heart he thought: I don't rely on these slaves, do I believe in the private virtues of the generals who command the army?

  Zhong Jin continued along his train of thought: "Both situations will greatly affect the morale and combat effectiveness of an army. In fact, it's not just eunuchs who are monitors, but also civil officials who may encounter such situations. Moreover, now that there are civil officials leading troops, it's not to say that civil officials leading troops is a bad thing. But for now, shouldn't most civil officials be familiar with leading troops and fighting?"

  "Well, what profound views does Mr. Zhong have?" The Chongzhen Emperor nodded involuntarily.

  "Your Majesty, if one person's character cannot be trusted, what about a group of people? And with an additional supervisory mechanism in place, would such a situation still occur?"

  "Please teach me, Mr. Zhong." Emperor Chongzhen said sincerely to Zhong Xian.

  "I dare not, I just want to share with you based on my understanding. It's like this: Your Majesty can let the military officers in charge of military supplies be independent and not subject to the command of the generals, forming a separate system. For example, starting from the hundred-household unit, one officer would be appointed for every certain level. This officer has two functions: first, to distribute military supplies and salaries directly to the soldiers; second, to also take charge of the ideological education of the soldiers. However, it must be clear that they cannot interfere with the command of the generals."

  Zhong Jinwei saw that Emperor Chongzhen was listening seriously and spoke with satisfaction: "This way, there are several benefits. Firstly, the military supply officer is not under the jurisdiction of the commander-in-chief, and by controlling the logistics, it is equivalent to grasping the throat of the army. Even if the commander-in-chief has other ideas, such as wanting to deduct military pay or make trouble, it would be very difficult. Secondly, the military supply officers directly issue pay to the soldiers, which can prevent middlemen from withholding or embezzling military pay. Thirdly, the military supply officer also does ideological education work for the soldiers, making them loyal to the emperor and the country, and letting them know that their military pay is issued by Your Majesty, effectively preventing commanders from rebelling, because even if a commander wants to rebel, the soldiers may not necessarily follow."

  Chongzhen Emperor thought that Zhong Jingwei's words were novel, but not perfect. So, he expressed his doubts: "What if these military officials collude to embezzle military pay and supplies? How can we prevent it?"

  "If the military officials were to collude with each other to deduct the soldiers' pay, the soldiers could report it to their superiors, who would then report the situation to the relevant departments or Your Majesty."

  The Chongzhen Emperor's eyes narrowed: "What if the commander-in-chief and all the military officials colluded to embezzle military expenses and salaries?"

  "Your Majesty, don't you still have the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot? Can't they be arranged to go in, either among the soldiers or as a military supply officer? If there's any corruption or embezzlement, just report directly to the relevant department or Your Majesty."

  Zhong Jinwei thought for a moment, then added: "Your Majesty can also arrange for the Censorate to conduct regular inspections, so that soldiers have a second channel to report any illegal activities."

  Finally, Zhong Jinwei concluded: "If these are implemented, the commander-in-chief will only be in charge of fighting, the logistics officer will be in charge of logistics and military ideology, and with other supervisory measures, everyone will do their job, and winning battles will not be a problem."

  Although many of Zhong Jingwei's terms were heard for the first time, they did not hinder Emperor Chongzhen from understanding the general meaning. Emperor Chongzhen felt that there was a bit too much content just now, so he slowly reviewed it again in his mind.

  Zhong Jinwei looked at the thoughtful expression of Emperor Chongzhen and knew that he was seriously considering his approach. He wasn't worried at all that Emperor Chongzhen would completely reject this method, because:

  The first is that this method was completely thought out from his own perspective and would only be beneficial to him.

  The second is that he knew Emperor Chongzhen was an enlightened person. Although it was the first time he heard this content, as long as he thought it was good, he would definitely agree. For example, things from the West, Xu Guangqi made a memorial to the throne, and Emperor Chongzhen thought it was okay, so he immediately let him revise the calendar. Alas, I forgot about Xu Guangqi, this great talent, hasn't been introduced to Emperor Chongzhen yet. Wait a moment, I'll give him a special recommendation later.

  The Chongzhen Emperor thought about it again and again, feeling that the overall direction was a good strategy to solve the current problems of the army. However, some details were still worth considering; besides, such an important matter should be handled with caution.

  "Mr. Zhong's words are indeed brilliant, I have thought about it, and his strategy is almost flawless. However, this matter concerns the military, so we cannot be too careful."

  "Hehe, Your Majesty is overpraising me. It's just because of the matter with Zu Dashou that I thought about it for a few days and came up with this idea to see if I could help Your Majesty share your worries and difficulties." Actually, it was just referencing methods from later generations, it's just that no one in this world knows about them.

  "You write this strategy into a memorial, in more detail, and let me see it again." Chongzhen Emperor said solemnly.

  I hate writing project weekly reports or monthly reports the most. I didn't expect to still have to write reports after coming to this world, but reluctantly, actions still need to be taken.

  "No problem, I'll write it for you later." Just after saying that, Zhong Jinwei thought of something and immediately added with a bitter smile: "Your Majesty, I don't know how to write traditional characters, the script from your world."

  Yes, this is a problem. Emperor Chongzhen nodded, but he didn't want others to know about it either. If the news spread everywhere, then let Wang Cheng'en write it and Zhong Jinwei narrate it.

  "Your Majesty, I forgot. I have a secretary, I said, let Archie write it." Unexpectedly, Zhong Jinwei came up with a solution first.

  It's alright, don't worry about her leaking the news. Emperor Chongzhen nodded in agreement.

  At this time, Wang Cheng'en came out to report: "Your Majesty, Sun Chengzong, the Grand Scholar of the Imperial Academy and Minister of War, has come to pay his respects."

  "Oh, Master Sun has come to see me, it must be something important. I'll go back first, and after Qi writes the memorial well, give it directly to Wang Chengen himself, let him hand it over to me." After finishing speaking, Emperor Chongzhen went to see Sun Chengzong with a good mood.

  "Ah!" Only after Emperor Chongzhen left did Zhong Xingwei realize he had forgotten to recommend Xu Guangqi, and couldn't help but knock his own head.

  Nothing much, no rush for the time being. Zhong Jinwei comforted himself and then shouted towards the outside of the hall: "Wife, come quickly to support your husband, my legs are numb."

  There is no movement outside the hall, hmm, what's wrong with Aqi? Wasn't he outside the hall? Did something happen?

  As promised, adding more