Moreover, before the formal launch of the war, some people were sent over in small groups. Not to mention the spies of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there were also some military personnel, including some local gentry who were bribed and coerced.

Moreover, this is the first batch of troops, totaling 30,000 men, assembled in present-day Tianjin. The second batch is currently en route. This does not include artisans, officials, or provisions.

The combined permanent population of Goryeo and Japan is estimated to exceed 50,000, which is far beyond the scale of a single military garrison. Such places will undoubtedly require continuous consolidation and strengthening, and a sustained establishment of local power.

Now that we've conquered it, it's naturally part of the Ming Dynasty's territory, and it needs to be governed well.

Old Zhu was in a good mood and joked, "Ying'er, the Shenji Battalion you've built up is one of the three major battalions in the capital. Don't let it be ruined. If we're going to the north to fight the Mongols, we'll transfer your troops there."

The Ming Dynasty's army was divided into the capital garrison and local troops. Zhu Xiong Ying created the Shenji Battalion, which was a firearms unit. The Three Thousand Battalion was reorganized by Zhu Xiong Ying into the Valiant Cavalry. The Five Armies Battalion, composed of elite cavalry and infantry, was called the Ever-Victorious Army by Zhu Xiong Ying.

In reality, it wasn't much different from the Beijing Garrison. In peacetime, the Ever-Victorious Army trained in camp formations, the Valiant Cavalry patrolled the area, the Divine Machine Battalion handled firearms, and in wartime, they escorted the emperor on campaigns. This was also the Beijing Garrison's usual training model and duties; Zhu Xiong Ying was essentially just making a minor name change.

Of course, the troops under Zhu Xiong Ying's command were quite different from those of the feudal princes.

According to some reforms made by Zhu Yuanzhang in the thirteenth year of Hongwu's reign, a garrison consisted of five thousand-household units, which was roughly five thousand five hundred people.

Those feudal lords now have some power, but normally they only have less than 10,000 men.

Zhu Xiong Ying's three directly subordinate armies each had more than three thousand men. Not to mention the supply trains and auxiliary troops. Zhu Xiong Ying also commanded some garrisons in the north. It would be an exaggeration to say that he had 100,000 troops, but 50,000 was definitely within his reach.

Old Zhu was in a good mood and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We've been keeping an eye on things these days. We're planning to promote Ru Chang to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Yan Zhenzhi will be given a minor official position. Zhuo Jing is also good, but he's only been an official for two years, so he'll just be a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue."

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Revenue was arguably the most important, managing civil officials and overseeing the system of rank and selection...

A physician of the fifth rank is indeed not a low rank. The Right Vice Minister is a third rank. Both the Minister and the Vice Minister are high-ranking officials, directly under the emperor's command.

The number of civil officials under Zhu Xiong Ying's command was quite frightening. Not to mention the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, there was also a Director of the Ministry of Revenue. Although the Director was a subordinate official, he could hold a position within the Ministry of Personnel.

Old Zhu then remembered something and asked, "I remember we gave you the title of Tan Hua (third-place scholar), which was also the first place in the provincial examination. Why didn't you use it?"

"A pedantic scholar, obsessed with restoring the Zhou rites," Zhu Xiong Ying said irritably. "Can we use things from one or two thousand years ago today? That man has gone mad from reading too much; I wouldn't dare use them extensively."

Old Zhu nodded and then said, "Then let him go to the Censorate and give him the rank of Vice Censor-in-Chief, a fifth-rank official."

That's fine, let Huang Zicheng become the Censor-in-Chief, that's like the Discipline Inspection Commission or the Procuratorate. Although Zhu Xiong Ying felt that Huang Zicheng might not be able to shoulder more responsibility, let's give it a try, and hope that the guy can improve.

Some people have their own desires and ideals. Changing their stance is extremely difficult. Especially for some intellectuals, for the sake of their principles and their truth, these people are willing to risk not only their own lives but also the lives of their entire families.

Zhu Xiong Ying was well aware of this, so she didn't always try to change Huang Zi Cheng's and others' views. Besides, expecting them to change was unrealistic. So, she just waited and saw if these people could play a role in certain specific positions; for now, it seemed that was the only option.

Zhu Xiong Ying didn't simply kill or demote people he disliked, not because he lacked any justification. The main reason was that Zhu Xiong Ying felt certain individuals might hold positions of influence, and even the emperor couldn't act arbitrarily, let alone the crown prince!

Old Zhu was in a good mood, but that's just the nature of this workaholic. Even with his eldest grandson around, after a few words, he'd start discussing official business. Sightseeing was out of the question; Old Zhu took little Zhu everywhere he went, giving him detailed instructions and guidance, encouraging Zhu Xiong Ying to learn as much as possible.

There was so much to learn: military tactics, logistics, setting up camps, personnel appointments, and so on. Even Zhu Xiong Ying had been learning, though mostly theoretically.

The memorials I read in Yingtian Prefecture were mostly about government affairs. Even if there were some about military matters, they were quite different from the direct reports on marching and fighting.

Although he is 62 years old, Old Zhu is still very domineering.

Sitting on the couch, Old Zhu looked at Zhang He, "Marquis of Navigation, the Crown Prince and all your ships, and now you're saying there aren't enough?!"

Zhang He hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I have already arranged all the ships. However, we have been constantly transporting troops and warhorses, while supplies and provisions are only provided with the army. We encountered a large wave that capsized three large ships, so our provisions are somewhat tight."

Old Zhu slammed his fist on the dragon bed and roared, "If there's a problem with the grain supplies, we'll hold you accountable!"

As he said this, Old Zhu leaned back and gently nudged Zhu Xiong Ying with his elbow.

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