Li Biao quickly knelt on the ground and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject obeys!"
"Your Majesty, what should we do with the Imperial Bodyguard's spies?" Li Biao asked hesitantly.
The strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guards had always been in their hidden posts and spies. Many of these spies had been buried for decades. Their fathers died and their sons took over. They usually lived in the area, and only when they were needed would their identities be exposed.
Some of these people were even the descendants of the first batch of spies during the Hongwu era.
Once the Imperial Bodyguard became the Daming Tax Inspectorate, would these spies and spies be brought over as well?
These spies and spies were not just buried among the people.
The mansions of the Dukes and Marquises, the Kings, and the civil and military officials were the targets of the Imperial Bodyguard's spies.
Although Dongchang was powerful, most of the time, Dongchang was just the Emperor's knife, used by the Emperor to deal with the civil officials.
The Imperial Bodyguard was different. It was more like a military organization that the Emperor extended to the local areas.
Zhu Yijun was a little hesitant about this question. To put it bluntly, he was a little reluctant.
If he really abolished the Imperial Bodyguard like this, he would be a little unwilling. However, if the Imperial Bodyguard continued to use the Imperial Bodyguard in the old way, Zhu Yijun was a little hesitant.
If he had to define the Imperial Bodyguard, Zhu Yijun thought of a notorious unit in the future. It was called the Military Police.
Although the Military Police had the authority to supervise military discipline, most of the time, the Military Police maintained local stability.
Their responsibility was also very simple, which was to maintain stability in the occupied areas.
It was notorious because the Military Police was most famous in Japan and Germany during World War II.
Although the Daming Empire could not be said to have peace in the world, it was close. Would it be appropriate to define the Imperial Bodyguard as the Military Police?
Zhu Yijun had been wondering if he should define the Imperial Bodyguard this way.
"Maybe I can give it a try!" Zhu Yijun thought about it and sighed. He didn't know if he was doing the right thing.
If the Imperial Horse Surveillance was a military intelligence agency, then the Imperial Bodyguard could indeed be classified as a military police.
On one hand, they were the Emperor's personal army, the closest army to the Emperor.
On the other hand, Daming's local army was going to reform the recruitment system, and the lack of manpower was indeed a problem.
The Imperial Horse Supervisor could not solve all the problems. Once the Military Police Force was established, Daming, there was no yamen capable of investigating such matters.
"I hope I didn't do anything wrong!" Zhu Yijun looked at Li Biao and gritted his teeth as he made up his mind.
The military police had a positive role to play, and the term "military police" was not a derogatory term.
In the future, the Republic also had military police, but the Germans and Japanese had completely ruined the reputation of the military police.
If the Daming really needed a local force to maintain stability, perhaps the Imperial Bodyguard could give it a try?
Zhu Yijun looked at Li Biao and said, "Let me ask you, are you willing to stay in the Imperial Bodyguard?"
Li Biao was stunned. He didn't expect the Emperor to ask such a question. Immediately, his face lit up with joy and he quickly said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to stay in the Imperial Bodyguard!"
As an official from the Imperial Factory, Li Biao was more willing to stay in the Imperial Bodyguard than go to the Ministry of Revenue.
What power did the Imperial Bodyguard have? He was the boss of the Imperial Bodyguard, but what would he be if he went to the Ministry of Revenue?
Zhu Yijun nodded. "In that case, let's split the Imperial Bodyguard into two!"
"One will go to the Tax Inspectorate, and the other will continue to stay in the Imperial Bodyguard."
"However, the authority of the Imperial Bodyguard will need to be changed. I will give the Imperial Bodyguard the authority to supervise the army, which is to investigate corruption and oppress the local forces."
"Of course, you can also continue to investigate the rebels and maintain the stability of this place."
Li Biao was instantly overjoyed. This was really a turn of events. Not only did the Imperial Bodyguard not lose their authority, but they also received new authority.
Li Biao quickly knelt and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will do my best and not let you down."
Nodding, Zhu Yijun continued, "Split the Imperial Bodyguard and keep all those who can fight. I will transfer some of the soldiers in the capital who can fight into the Imperial Bodyguard to make up for the Imperial Bodyguard."
In fact, the Imperial Bodyguard had already been greatly reduced. Many government offices had been disbanded, and the number of people was not enough.
According to the normal organization, the Imperial Bodyguard was a guard, which meant that there should be five thousand-household offices and 5,000 people.
But the Imperial Bodyguard was different. There were 14 thousand-household offices.
Each province had a thousand-household office. If it was full, there would be 1,000 people in each province.
In fact, the Imperial Bodyguard was famous because it was the only personal army that the Emperor could mobilize.
When the Daming Dynasty was first established, Zhu Yuanzhang set up 12 personal guards, all of which were the Emperor's trusted forces.
During the Yongle Era, Zhu Di expanded the personal army again.
He added 10 guardhouses, making the personal army expand to 22 guardhouses. These 22 guardhouses had a total of 110,000 people, all of whom were the Emperor's personal army, which was also the Emperor's personal army.
During the Xuande Era, the Four Guards were expanded again, which were the famous Four Guards of the Soaring Wings. This increased the number of personal army to 26, and the Emperor's power reached its peak.
They were well-equipped and were all experienced soldiers. They were the Emperor's guarantee to intimidate the world.
The turning point of events occurred in the battle of Tumu Castle. The Emperor's personal army, the Twenty-Sixth Guard, did not go into battle. The troops that remained in Beijing were all conscripted. Under the unified command of the Assistant Minister of War, Yu Qian, they entered the battle to defend Beijing.
After that, other than the Imperial Bodyguard, the Soaring Wings Left Guard, Soaring Wings Right Guard, Wuyong Left Guard, and Wuyong Right Guard, the rest of the 26 personal army were mixed with the ordinary troops in the capital. Although their names were not changed, they were under the control of the Ministry of War and were no longer the Imperial Bodyguard under the Emperor's personal command.
In terms of administration, personnel, and pay, they were controlled by the civil officials. They were declining day by day and had little fighting power in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.
Out of the Twelve Guards, only the Imperial Bodyguard was left under the Emperor's personal command.
In addition, in the eighth year of Xuande, there were the Soaring Wings Left Guard, Soaring Wings Right Guard, Wuyong Left Guard, and Wuyong Right Guard. They were collectively known as the Four Guards Camp and were under the command of the Imperial Horse Eunuch.
Although Yu Qian protected the capital, he was also a civil official. When it came to reducing the Emperor's power, it could be said that he spared no effort.
Yingzong was imprisoned and Dai Zong was pushed to the throne by the officials. Dai Zong was able to ascend to the throne because of the civil officials. This also made him overly dependent on the civil officials. This gave the civil officials the opportunity to reduce the Emperor's power, or rather, the military officials the opportunity to reduce the Emperor's power.
This was also the reason why Yingzong favored the eunuch and caused the defeat of Tumu Fortress. The military, or the Honours, still supported him to restore the throne.
The civil officials reduced the power too ruthlessly and the Honours were forced into a corner.
When Yingzong restored the throne and killed Yu Qian, it wasn't because Yingzong was ungrateful or that he wanted to take revenge on Yu Qian. He had no choice but to do it.
This was the collective demand of the people who supported his restoration. At the same time, they wanted to take back their power. It was impossible not to kill Yu Qian.
As a result, Yu Qian died, and he died very miserably.
Even so, the Emperor only took back the Soaring Wings Four Guards and the Imperial Bodyguard.
As a result, the Emperor could only use the eunuchs and the Imperial Bodyguard to maintain his power. Then, the civil officials attacked the Imperial Bodyguard and the eunuchs, doing their best to discredit them. To put it bluntly, it was a struggle between the monarch's power and the subject's power.
Throughout the history of the feudal dynasties, the struggle between the monarch's power and the subject's power had never stopped.
In the early days, it was a struggle between the monarch's power and the prime minister's power. When the Daming abolished the prime minister, it directly evolved into a group of civil officials and the symbol of the monarch's power.
The dispute during the Jiajing period was a representative of this. The Great Ceremony Conference was a struggle between the monarch's power and the civil officials' power.
In the beginning, the Jiajing Emperor personally took part. Later, he directly found a hired thug, and that was Yan Song.
Obviously, Yan Song was a qualified thug. He directly beat the civil officials, led by Yang Tinghe and Mao Cheng, to the ground.
However, that was only temporary. After the Jiajing Emperor, there was Xu Jie, then Gao Gong, and then Zhang Juzheng.
The subject's power rose again, and the imperial power was suppressed. The Wanli Emperor struggled for a lifetime, but in the end, he still failed.
It was not until the Tianqi Emperor that he finally struggled out and breathed a sigh of relief. However, he still used the eunuch's faction.
Wei Zhongxian, as a lackey, was also qualified. He punched and kicked the Donglin faction.
Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, the whole country was constantly consumed in this kind of struggle for power.
In the Song Dynasty, the civil officials completely suppressed the generals and ruled the world with the scholarly officials. The Emperor's power was also suppressed to the limit. Then, the civil officials began to fight among themselves, and it was also a mess.
Ever since Zhu Yijun ascended to the throne, he appointed trusted generals to take charge of the capital's barracks. He earned money himself, and the money from the palace treasury was used to expand the Soaring Soaring Guards.
Now, the personal army was restored to its old appearance of the 24 Guards. There were no less than 100,000 soldiers in the personal army.
A large part of the reason the civil officials were strangling the Emperor was because of financial power.
The national treasury had no money. If they wanted to expand the army, they didn't have the money. The Emperor had to think of a way.
Zhu Yijun successfully avoided this problem. It was fine, he would pay for it himself.
This was the main reason why Zhu Yijun was able to achieve the status he had today.
Now that he was going to extend his hand into the local military, the expansion of the Imperial Bodyguard was imperative.
Looking at Li Biao, Zhu Yijun continued, "The Imperial Bodyguard has 14 guard posts. The strength is a little weak. Increase it to 20.
Send more people from the North and South Capital. "
"Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject obeys!" Li Biao was instantly overjoyed and quickly bowed.
Zhu Yijun nodded. "I will find someone to contact you about the Tax Inspectorate. However, it will have to wait for a few days. I need to find a suitable candidate to take charge of the Tax Inspectorate."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Biao quickly replied.
Li Biao didn't plan to say anything else regarding this matter. Today, he had met the Emperor and experienced many ups and downs. Fortunately, the outcome was satisfactory. This made Li Biao very satisfied.
Zhu Yijun waved his hand and gestured for Li Biao to leave.
After Li Biao left, Zhu Yijun sighed. He reckoned that there would be a bloodbath.
Li Biao was obviously not someone who would do things honestly. He reckoned that after the Imperial Bodyguard was split up, he would make a big move.
The hereditary military officers of various places would probably be in trouble. He reckoned that many Honours would be implicated.
"It's good to clean up a batch!" Zhu Yijun said faintly.
On the contrary, Zhu Yijun didn't care much about the expansion of the Imperial Bodyguard. He was rich now. The Imperial Bodyguard would only expand to six guard stations. It was only 30,000 people. It wasn't a big deal.
"Go to the Palace of Compassionate and Peaceful," Zhu Yijun instructed as he glanced at Zhang Jing.
The Imperial Censorate was patrolling the capital's yamen.
Hai Rui was sitting in the hall drinking tea. Beside him was Xu Wenchang.
Since the Emperor arranged for him to write the Heroic Legend of Huang Ming last year, Xu Wenchang hadn't been so free in a long time.
It was supposed to be finished before the end of the year. However, with Hai Rui's interference, the progress was slowed down.
Although Xu Wenchang knew that Hai Rui admired Emperor Taizu very much, Xu Wenchang never thought that Hai Rui admired Emperor Taizu so much.
When he heard that he was going to write the Heroic Legend of Huang Ming, he insisted on helping. However, he always wanted to smuggle in his own goods.
If it weren't for him, he would have finished it long ago. Glancing at Hai Rui, who was drinking tea, Xu Wenchang's resentment still hadn't dissipated.
"The Palace sent a message. What are you going to do?" Xu Wenchan looked at Hai Rui and said slowly.
"What do you mean?"
Hai Rui looked at Xu Wenchang and said indifferently, "Do what should be done. What do we do?
I have already asked someone to call Fang Ming. "
To be honest, Xu Wenchang didn't think much of Fang Ming.
To say that he was a ruthless official, he was not, but there was always a sense of ruthlessness in him.
Back when he was in the Tax Department, Fang Ming was famous for not being afraid of the rich and powerful. He always put his life on the line.
Civil officials didn't fear the rich and powerful because they were asking for help for the people, but Fang Ming seemed to want to be promoted. In short, they didn't fit in.
On the other hand, Hai Rui admired Fang Ming. Ever since Fang Ming was promoted to the commander of the Five Cities Military Office, Hai Rui relied on Fang Ming a lot.
The Palace sent a message to cooperate with the Tax Department, so Hai Rui immediately called Fang Ming over.
Fang Ming, who was wearing light armor and holding his saber, walked into the hall. When he saw Hai Rui and Xu Wenchang, he cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, Sirs!"
Hai Rui nodded and said with a smile, "Sit!"
After Fang Ming sat down, Hai Rui continued, "The palace has sent word that they are about to make their move. I hope the Five City Military Commander won't delay things, will you?"
Although they had been in charge before, it was mainly to clean up the personnel.
Whether it was for Hai Rui, Xu Wenchang, or Fang Ming, it was very difficult to have a group of subordinates that they could command at will.
It wasn't easy to be an official in the capital. Now that they were going to offend someone, many people weren't willing to do it.
"Don't worry, Lord Hai. There won't be any problems!" Fang Ming said with a smile.
After so long, if he couldn't even train his subordinates well, Fang Ming felt that he shouldn't be the Five Cities Military Office anymore. He might as well go back to being a tax soldier.
Hai Rui nodded, "That's good. Let's start tomorrow!"
"This lowly official has been waiting for this day!" Fang Ming said with a smile.
Watching Fang Ming leave, Xu Wenchang glanced at Hai Rui, "Are we going to let him do as he pleases?
Nothing will happen, right?
If this matter blows up, there will be trouble! "
Taking a sip of tea, Hai Rui said, "The tea leaves given by His Majesty are truly good."
"Blow up?
I'm still worried that it won't blow up. Blow it up!
The bigger the better. I heard that there are people dying at the cement factory every day. Even the slaves can't keep up. Sending some criminals over will be good. "