"It should be about time. We should go back now. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid that Grandpa might be injured."

In Liangzhou, Xuanwu Lake, Zhu Ying stood up and spoke.

Zhu Ying had known about the affairs of Datong Zuowei long before.

Last year, a large number of members of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce went to Shanxi to explore and mine coal, and they needed the assistance of military households in the surrounding garrisons.

It was at that time that the members of the Chamber of Commerce came into contact with the soldiers of Datong Zuowei.

Normally speaking, in the current Ming Dynasty, even the soldiers who were stationed in farmlands were not particularly strong. Although they could be self-sufficient, it was unrealistic for them to eat as much as they wanted.

Even if not for yourself, you should consider your wife and children at home.

However, the people from the Chamber of Commerce found that the soldiers from Datong Zuowei were all pale and thin, with skin and bones showing, and it was obvious that they had not had a full meal for a long time.

This is particularly obvious when compared with other guards.

In contrast, the leading centurions were all fat, and standing together, they were even more eye-catching.

You have to know that Datong is close to the grassland, and Datong Zuowei can be regarded as a frontier army. Not only does it have to train more frequently, but its combat effectiveness should also be strong enough.

Once the border grasslands invade, the first batch of troops to be mobilized will be the nearby garrisons such as Datong Zuowei.

It has to be said that Zhu Ying's ideological education within the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce was quite effective. Although there were no officials in charge of the Chamber of Commerce, in their hearts, they always regarded themselves as the direct descendants of the Crown Prince.

Those who are now able to serve as the heads of the Chamber of Commerce are all those who grew up with Zhu Ying from the Western Regions. Perhaps they have no loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, but they all believe in the boss.

To put it another way, the former Dong family and now the Crown Prince, so the entire Ming Dynasty, just like the Western Regions, belongs to the Dong family.

After realizing that there was a problem, the head of the Chamber of Commerce secretly contacted these soldiers.

Sure enough, a huge problem was discovered.

Everything that happened next was a natural progression.

The head of the Chamber of Commerce in Datong had spent more than ten years on the Mongolian grasslands. It was precisely because of his familiarity with the grasslands that he was assigned to Datong.

When he was on the Mongolian grasslands, this leader was best at forming alliances, sowing discord, and secretly encouraging these evil tricks.

Since I came to Datong, I have been living such a leisurely life that I am not quite used to it. I even miss the exciting days on the grassland.

Good guy, after facing this incident, he thought about it and immediately came up with an idea.

Because it was too far away from the capital, the person in charge started planning immediately after passing the information.

The matter of the centurions of the Left Guard of Datong also gave the person in charge an opportunity.

Including the secret report sent to the capital, it was naturally written by the person in charge and went through the Chamber of Commerce’s channels.

After receiving the secret report, Zhu Ying thought about it carefully.

He knew very well that in order to gain the old man's approval, he had to reform the Wei Suo system.

If you report it yourself, you may not achieve the desired effect.

After all, the old man's temper is extremely stubborn.

I have proposed the Wei Suo system before. If I bring it up now, given the old man's personality, he might even wonder whether this was directed by me.

It’s better to pass it on through someone else’s hands.

This gaze finally fell on the Minister of War Ru Hong.

As the Minister of War, Ru Heng and the Five Military Commanders' Office were mutually restraining positions.

However, in reality, there are too many nobles in the Five Military Commandery, including dukes, marquises, and earls, who are spread throughout the entire Ming army, and it is simply impossible for a civil official like Ru Hong to control them.

It can be said that most of the time, apart from conveying His Majesty's edicts for mobilization, Ru Hong had no power at all over the army.

In terms of position, the Ministry of War was in charge of the selection and examination of military guards and local officials, as well as military system, training, conscription, garrison, border defense, ceremonial guards, post stations, stables, military equipment, verification of military records, military registration, and other military administration.

But now these powers are not implemented at all.

To put it simply, Ru Hong couldn't enter the gate of any Qianhu Suo just because he wanted to.

From top to bottom, no one in all the garrisons paid any attention to this so-called Minister of War, who was a complete show-off.

Ru Heng is a smart person, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to hold the position of Shangshu.

When this secret report reached him, Zhu Ying had already guessed that it would definitely not be mentioned at the court meeting, and the ceremony in Huagai Palace after the court session was Ru Rong's best opportunity.

When Zhu Ying arrived in front of the Huagai Palace, he happened to hear the old man's angry roar.

It really feels bad to be slapped in the face.

"Take Yunhuan and Mingyue back to Kunning Palace first."

Zhu Ying glanced behind him and saw Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Mingyue trembling with fear, then he gave instructions to Ye Yueqing.

The two children have been afraid of their grandfather the Emperor, a shadow that has existed in their hearts since they were young.

How could I dare to go and see the Emperor when he was angry?

In the Huagai Palace.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice, with a sinister look in his eyes and asked, "According to the Ming Dynasty law, how should these soldiers of the Datong Left Guard be punished?"

The Minister of Justice Yang Jing felt a pang in his heart. How could the blame for the military be put on me?

This question is really difficult to answer.

If a soldier commits rebellion or disobeys his superiors, he will certainly be reprimanded by Your Majesty.

If you say that the soldiers are innocent and the commander-in-chief has only himself to blame, that would be an insult to Your Majesty.

It's like Zhu Bajie looking in the mirror, neither of them is human.

Just as Yang Jing's forehead began to sweat, the eunuch outside the door reported: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you."

Hearing that the eldest grandson was coming, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes became much gentler: "Hurry up and let the eldest grandson come over."

Minister of Justice Yang Jing breathed a sigh of relief, his savior had arrived.

The other ministers also felt relieved, otherwise no one would be able to please the emperor.

Zhu Ying entered the hall and paid his respects.

He glanced around and immediately understood the current situation.

"I heard that my eldest grandson went to Xuanwu Lake for a trip. How come he came back so early?" Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

There was no trace of anger in his tone.

The ministers at the head all had an illusion. If it were not for the cold sweat on their backs and the secret reports on the desk, it would seem as if everything just now was an illusion.

Feeling the old man's gentle tone, Zhu Ying's heart moved slightly.

After a slight pause, he said, "My grandson's heart is not at peace. He is pretending to have too many things, which does not match the peaceful feeling of Xuanwu Lake."

"Just now, when I was passing by the palace, I heard that Grandpa was furious, so I rushed to see him. I just hope that Grandpa will not get sick from being so angry."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard his eldest grandson mention it, he waved his hand and asked him to sit next to him.

Then he handed over the secret report on the table.

Zhu Ying took it and read it carefully.

Of course, Zhu Ying had already read the contents of this secret report.

It looks fake, with a frown and shock on your face.

"Grandson, how is it?" asked the person who had been paying attention to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yingwen's tone was filled with obvious anger as he rebuked, "It is hard to talk about how such a terrible thing could happen in our great Ming Dynasty."

"I now understand why Grandpa was so angry just now. It's simply horrifying."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and asked, "Grandson, what do you think should be done with these criminal soldiers?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Jing in the audience was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, and then looked at the crown prince with some curiosity, wondering how he would answer.

Zhu Ying did not hesitate, but said in surprise: "Disposal? What disposal? They are innocent and have suffered so much injustice for so many years. They should be comforted."

"The defense of the border still requires these soldiers to guard it."

Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly: "But they killed their own superiors and violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Ying retorted: "That's what the commander-in-chief named Li Lin deserves. He was able to sit in the position of commander-in-chief because of the brothers under him who risked their lives for him."

"From the perspective of our court, Li Lin harmed the military households, was extremely corrupt, lied to his superiors and subordinates, and embezzled military pay. Any of these is enough for him to be tortured to death and have his skin peeled off and stuffed with straw."

"The worst thing is that the combat effectiveness of the entire Datong Left Guard has dropped sharply. If the grassland invades, how can these hungry and cold soldiers resist?"

"If the border is lost, how many people will lose their homes and lives."

"In my opinion, the behavior of these soldiers should not only not be punished, but should be rewarded, and heavily rewarded."

"Especially this centurion, he should be promoted directly to the commander-in-chief and serve the Ming Dynasty. All soldiers should be made aware that if their superiors harm the foundation of the Ming Dynasty, commit corruption, or join the enemy army, etc., they will be punished."

"Then such a commander is no longer a commander, but an enemy. You should strike him down mercilessly without any hesitation. The Ming Dynasty is behind you and will give you strong support."

Zhu Ying's passionate words echoed throughout the Huagai Hall. Zhu Yuanzhang even smiled, as it was obvious that his words touched his heart.

In fact, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the first thing soldiers should be loyal to is not their superiors, nor is it to a general or commander.

It should be directed towards the Ming Dynasty and the emperor.

"Okay, Grandson, you're right. Let's do this according to what you said."

"Minister Ru, I heard it clearly."

After Zhu Yuanzhang agreed with his eldest grandson's words, he said to Ru Hong.

"I obey your order." Ru Huang bowed and replied.

It seemed that this matter had been settled, but Zhu Ying didn't want it to be like this.

If it was so simple, why would he go through so much trouble to pass the secret information to Ru Chang?

After a brief pause, Zhu Ying continued, "Grandpa, this matter makes my grandson worried."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest grandson deeply and said, "Grandson, tell me what you have to say."

Just from this look, Zhu Ying knew that the old man understood what he was thinking, so he said directly:

"Grandpa, from what I learned from the secret reports, the incident at Datong Zuowei happened nearly twenty years ago."

"For such a long time, the court has not heard a single word of this."

"So whether Li Lin's behavior is an isolated case or has become a trend that many people are secretly doing, we don't know as there is no investigation yet."

"However, the actions of many guards, even if not as serious as Li Lin's, are truly digging into the foundation of our Ming Dynasty."

“No matter how well the internal affairs are developing, no matter how full the treasury is, and even if the food is enough to feed the people, the soldiers facing the outside world are weak and have no fighting power at all.”

"How is the Ming Dynasty different from the former Song Dynasty?"

These words were a direct blow to the old man. All the ministers, including Jiang Lin and Liu He, stopped breathing for a moment.

Is it because only Zhu Ying is so smart that he can think of this problem?

No, that's not the case.

On the contrary, after the ministers read the secret report, Zhu Ying's idea immediately popped up in their minds.

Although everyone knew about it, no one dared to bring it up, even the five ministers.

Zhu Ying rushed over from Xuanwu Lake just to make this suggestion.

"What does grandson mean..." Zhu Yuanzhang asked carefully.

Zhu Ying's eyes were clear, and he said in a deep voice: "Investigate the corruption of the Daming Guard thoroughly."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer immediately, but paused and said: "Aren't you afraid of causing a mutiny, grandson?"

Zhu Ying shook his head and said, "Don't worry. The corrupt ones must be the military officers, and the soldiers are the ones they exploit and enslave."

"But they forget that the source of their fighting power is the very people they exploit and enslave on a daily basis."

"This scene is just like the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. These soldiers are longing for the Ming Dynasty to support them. If these military commanders dare to rebel, I believe that all they need is an imperial decree from Grandpa."

"Those soldiers who were once enslaved will naturally gather together and put order out of chaos."

"At present, we don't know how many guards in the Ming Dynasty are like this. I naturally hope that there are as few as possible, but if the situation is serious, then we have no choice but to do it."

"If we don't eradicate it today, it will become a threat to the subversion of our Ming Dynasty in the future."

Zhu Ying was not exaggerating. In the later Ming Dynasty, the problems left over from the three hundred years of the Wei Suo system became increasingly serious.

To the extent that sucking the blood of soldiers and collecting empty salaries has become a common and normal phenomenon among border troops.

The corruption in the military is more than a hundred times more serious than that among the government officials.

Even if you have made achievements, without paying tribute to your superiors, the achievements you have gained through fighting for life and death will be a gift to others.

If this continues for a long time, no soldiers will dare to risk their lives, and official positions will become completely priced.

The military pay issued by the imperial court, after layers of exploitation, fell to the lower-level soldiers, where even food and clothing were a problem, let alone fighting on the battlefield? Anyone who risked his life was a fool.

Even if a general wanted to achieve great things, the first thing he had to face was the military pay of his soldiers.

Without money, we can't even feed our soldiers, let alone any hope from the imperial court.

After hearing what his eldest grandson said, Zhu Yuanzhang did not respond immediately.

Instead, he began to ponder.

He knew very well that there was another meaning behind his eldest grandson's words.

That would be a overthrow of the entire current Weisuo system.

The current thorough investigation is only a temporary solution and does not address the root cause.

Such a terrible act by a Datong left guard has been going on for more than 20 years without any news being spread.

This is not something that a small commander can do.

The characters involved are extremely broad.

The biggest problem at present is who will conduct the investigation.

The garrison is now self-sufficient, and it is not so easy for outsiders to find out the real situation.

Ordinary inspectors are totally useless.

The case of Lan Yu was the best example.

They forcibly occupied the land of the people of Dongchang and even beat the censor out without giving him the slightest face.

I’m afraid that after this investigation, there will be countless fish that slip through the net.

Even if the current situation is changed, according to the current development trend, it won't take many years before a large number of military officers will secretly engage in corruption again.