General Li Qian glanced at Zhao Huaili and curled his lips to indicate that your information is not accurate!
Yulin is a barren land with a poor population, and many locals choose to join the army as a way out. Coupled with the people's tough character, Yulin soldiers have always been famous for their bravery and fighting skills.
Because of this, there are many generals in Yulin, and they have been passed down from generation to generation, all of which are characteristics of the military.
For example, the Wang family, the Hou family, the You family, and the Li family are all relatively famous military families in Yulin area.
The new generation of the You family was quite capable. The three brothers You Shigong (died in the Battle of Shenyang), You Shiwei and You Shilu were well-known for their bravery and held high positions.
But in terms of seniority and qualifications, Yulin respects Wang Wei from the Wang family and the old man from the Hou family.
Wang Wei's hair and beard were all white, but his back was not hunched and his waist was not collapsed. He jumped off the horse with clean and neat movements.
Although Mr. Hou looked old, he came on horseback. He shook off his grandson's support, forced himself to dismount, looked at Wang Wei, and then walked towards the yamen.
The gate opened wide and the newly appointed commander-in-chief, Sun Chuanting, came out, followed by the new army lieutenant general You Shilu and the captain Qi Panzong.
After the formalities, Sun Chuanting accompanied the two old generals into the yamen. The officials of the yamen then led in many military officers from outside and had them gather at the steps of the hall to wait.
"Two old generals, please kneel down to receive the imperial edict." Sun Chuanting stood in the middle and presented the bright yellow imperial edict.
"Your humble servant Wang (Hou) Wei (Guo Zhong) has received the imperial decree. Long live the emperor!" Wang Wei and Old Man Hou knelt on the ground and shouted, "Long live the emperor!"
Sun Chuanting unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees: Wang Wei, Hou Guozhong..."
The officers below listened with their ears pricked up, and expressions of surprise or joy gradually appeared on their faces.
It turned out that it was the emperor's favor to supplement the salaries of retired generals with the rank of deputy general and above, and the salary would continue until their death.
The key point is not that only Wang Wei and Hou Guozhong have this treatment, but that from now on, this will be a permanent rule.
What does it mean? People in later generations will understand. It's just a pension, nothing special.
But in the Ming Dynasty, not to mention military generals, even civil officials did not have such treatment!
Yes, there was no such thing as pension not only in the Ming Dynasty, but also in ancient times.
Of course, in the Tang Dynasty, some rice was distributed to retired officials to allow them to spend their later years in peace. In the Song Dynasty, retired officials could receive half of their salary when they were in office as a living allowance.
But these are unwritten or undocumented acts, and are different from pensions in later generations.
As for the Ming Dynasty, salaries were still considered low, let alone pensions.
Because of this, many officials enjoyed great success while in office, but found it difficult to even make a living when they retired and returned to their hometowns. Therefore, this became a reason for some officials to engage in corruption.
Zhu Youxiao saw this drawback and, based on the principle of promoting military generals, began to gradually implement a pension system for officials.
This is the same idea as arranging the retirement of the fathers-in-law. As long as you are not corrupt and do your job sincerely, I will not let you worry about your future life.
Wang Wei and Hou Guozhong naturally had no idea of the emperor's far-reaching plans. They were extremely excited to receive such courtesy. They did not expect that even though they had retired at home, the emperor was still thinking about them and caring about their lives.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace. Long live you, long live you, long live you!" The two of them bowed deeply and kowtowed deeply.
Sun Chuanting put away the imperial edict, stepped forward to help the two veterans to their feet, and said with a smile: "The emperor's grace is great. The two generals have fought for the country on the battlefield and have made great contributions. They deserve the treatment they receive."
"I've been in the army for many years, but I've only achieved a tiny bit of success. I'm really ashamed, so ashamed!"
"I am ashamed of the emperor's grace. I am old, and only the younger generation of my family can continue to serve the country."
The two veteran generals humbly bowed and took the sabers awarded by the emperor with both hands. As for the additional salary, they just glanced at it.
Compared to gold and silver, honor is the most important thing. Old, old, almost buried, if I can carry this honor into my coffin and have it recorded in my family tree, then my life is worth it.
Sun Chuanting asked the two veteran generals to sit down, cleared the incense table, and called all the officers on the steps in to sit down.
His face calmed down, and as he glanced at the officers, Sun Chuanting spoke loudly, "The clearing of garrisons and paying salaries has come to an end. The Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery have issued an order stating that the military household system has been plagued by long-standing problems, and the soldiers in the garrisons are lazy and indolent. We must reform and revitalize it to strengthen the army and defend the country."
As he spoke, Sun Chuanting took the document, glanced at the officers present, and began to convey it.
"…military settlements are only rented, not sold. Not a single acre can be encroached upon, not a single grain can be lost. Violators will be severely punished…"
"...The hereditary system of military households will be abolished, and they can be registered as civilians. They can also rent military settlement land to continue farming and living, and pay taxes and grain according to the law..."
"...Families with a military enlistment who have three or fewer members can cultivate 20 mu of military farmland, free of rent and taxes; families with five or fewer members can cultivate 30 mu of military farmland, free of rent and taxes..."
Listening to these new regulations, the officers had different expressions. Even the two veteran generals stroked their beards and thought about what this meant to the officers and soldiers.
"These are still temporary regulations. We will start with a trial in Shaanxi. If there are any errors or omissions, we can stop them and make a decision after reporting them."
Sun Chuanting put down the document, his expression softened, and he said, "I've called you all here today to discuss this matter first. Feel free to speak freely and express your opinions."
As he spoke, he sat down, signaled his servants to bring tea, and looked at the officers with a smile, as if to encourage them.
Sun Chuanting was surprised at first when he followed Zuo Guangdou to Shaanxi to serve as an official and gradually turned to military affairs, but he quickly got into the role.
Sun Chuanting was a Jinshi (Jinshi) and had no military career. However, he was very strategic and had read military books, making him a civil servant who understood military affairs.
As mentioned earlier, many civil servants in ancient times were multi-talented. They were specialized in the Four Books and Five Classics, and they also had preferences in water conservancy, farming, the study of things, military affairs, etc.
The generals of the Ming Dynasty were usually divided into two types. One type was the type that was both civil and military, having both strategy and the ability to kill enemies in battle, such as Grandpa Qi and Lu Xiangsheng; the other type was like Sun Chuanting, and the famous one was Hong Chengchou.
Zuo Guangdou, a stubborn man, was quite good at practical work. He was not afraid of offending people, and this alone satisfied the emperor.
You don't need to be innovative, nor do you need to find good ways to reform long-standing problems. A good official is one who abides by the law, enforces it strictly, and implements the court's policies and measures.
The emperor also gave sufficient support to Zuo Guangdou's work.
Isn’t it said that the quality of local officials is low? So we send you ten Jinshi graduates; if there is resistance in clearing the garrisons and paying the salaries, we send the Jinyiwei to help, and also give you the power to mobilize troops to suppress it.
Sun Chuanting also diligently served as Zuo Guangdou's assistant, ensuring that the rectification of local areas, clearing out military settlements and replenishing military pay could be carried out smoothly.
But Sun Chuanting had no idea why he was favored by the emperor. His rank was promoted continuously and he was getting closer to a military position. Was it just because he worked hard?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
