The source of the Praetorian Guards did not come from the original Beijing Guards, but was recruited by Qi Jiguang in Hebei. Since the Praetorian Guard has not been established for a long time and has not experienced many wars, it is obviously difficult for these soldiers recruited by the people to grow into generals for a while, so the source of the generals of the Praetorian Guard is more complicated.

In general, there are three parts to the generals of the Praetorian Guard, as well as the source of middle-level officers.

The first part is Qi Jiguang's lineage. Among them, the real "veteran" is only Wu Weizhong, and the rest are middle-level generals, and in the Praetorian Guard system, most of them are officers at the company, platoon, and shed levels, and there are several battalion-level officers.

This arrangement was made by Qi Jiguang after asking Gao Pragmatic for two reasons: First, the Praetorian Guard belongs to the imperial court lineage, and it can even be said that it is the pro-army of the Son of Heaven (its role is different from that of the Jinyi Guard), and Qi Jiguang is not a noble line, so he obviously does not dare to arrange too many of his own cronies and generals in such an army, so as not to be like snow and cannot afford to be guilty at that time.

Second, the main force of the "Qi Army" in the real sense has been taken away by Qi Jin and went to the border of Liaodong. Since the army is gone, of course, the generals have to follow, except for some generals who have been promoted to all parts of the country in the early years, the generals who were still in the army at that time basically followed Qi Jin.

As for Wu Weizhong, he is the right-hand man beside Qi Jiguang, and he is also the "old man" of the Qi family's army, Qi Jiguang always has to keep a confidant by his side to deal with various affairs, otherwise he will lead such a large army single-handedly, so he will not be exhausted to death?

The second part of the generals of the Praetorian Guard came from the three towns of Xuanda and the towns of Jizhou, Changping, and Baoding. Among them, there is no doubt that the three towns of Xuanda belong to the highly pragmatic lineage; Although Jizhen is not Qi Jiguang's descendant, it belongs to Qi Jiguang's old subordinates; Changping, Baoding and other towns are the radiation range of high pragmatism, which can be roughly regarded as the collateral generals under the command of Gao pragmatism, or the generals of the pan-practical school - the Wenchen bigwigs they took refuge in belong to the real school.

As for the third part, it is naturally the children of nobles and heroes. This is a helpless thing, the attributes of the Praetorian Guard are here, if there is not a single noble son and meritorious hero in the army, not to mention that the civil and military officials of the imperial court are not at ease, even Zhu Yijun is afraid that he will have to make a sudden attack in his heart.

These generals are not Xungui himself or his direct family, usually the second son and the remaining son, such as Zhu Yingzhen's younger brother Zhu Yinghuai, Zhang Yuangong's younger brother Zhang Yuande and others. In addition, there are famous generals from all over the country, and this part is dominated by Jiangmen Enyin, such as the famous general Men Ma Shi under the command of Gao Shishi, there are Ma Chengxun (not Ma Chengxun), Ma Chengxuan, and Ma Chengzhao were kicked to the Praetorian Guard by Ma Gui.

The rest of the generals, especially the generals of Gao Pragmatic's lineage, also have such treatment, as long as the general himself is rewarded with Enyin, Gao Pragmatic will help to "operate" it when it is convenient, and let them enter the Praetorian Guard for training according to the level of Enyin.

In Gao Pragmatism's view, this is the best solution under the existing system, not only a win-win, but even a win-win: Gao Pragmatism himself, Jiangmen, and the imperial court are all beneficiaries.

Moreover, compared to these generals who have always remained hereditary in the town, Gao Pragmatic thinks that it would be better to include them in the Praetorian Guard. First, to prevent the power of the gate in this town from continuing to snowball, and secondly, to allow them to form a healthy competition within the Praetorian Guard system.

General, if you don't obey me, I don't obey you. You said that your Tieling Li clan is the first general in the world, and I am not convinced by the Ma clan. In the past, it was not easy for everyone to compare and compare, but now it is convenient - the Praetorian Guard has seasonal training and annual comparison, and everyone is a mule or a horse to come out and slip around, see who brings the best soldiers!

What does it mean to break the solidification and healthy competition? That's it.

Qi Jiguang has always said that this method of high pragmatism is simply a genius idea, but he still put forward a supplementary suggestion, that is, since this is done, then the commander of the Praetorian Guard must not pick a person with obvious position bias.

Qi Jiguang himself is known for leading troops strictly and fairly, and he can guarantee that he is not partial, but he is very worried about the partiality of the successor of the commander of the Praetorian Guard arranged by Gao Pragmatic in the future.

But in fact, Gao Pragmatic can't agree to this matter, although the Praetorian Guard was created by him, but he is not the emperor, where can he guarantee who the future commanders will be? It can only be said that within their sphere of influence, they will recommend a relatively more impartial successor. But there is no hurry in this matter for the time being, Qi Jiguang's term of office has not yet ended, and he should be able to serve for a second term.

There are not many generals of the Praetorian Guard who came today, except for Qi Jiguang himself, only Ma Chengxuan came as the representative of the generals, and the nobles' family did not send anyone to come, probably because the nobles wanted to visit Gao Pragmatic tonight.

As soon as the two sides met, Qi Jiguang first raised his concerns, it turned out that he was not here for anything else, but worried about whether the current system of the Praetorian Guard would change.

As mentioned above, the Ming Dynasty has always been engaged in the reform of the Beijing camp, and it has been changed many times, and situations such as pushing it back and starting over and rolling back the system often occur. Qi Jiguang was worried about this, he was afraid that the Praetorian Guard, who had finally become a little bit of a face, would leave his post because of high pragmatism, and the imperial court would inexplicably roll back the "system" to become what it was before, so his hard work for so long would be in vain.

This high pragmatism can still be guaranteed, and Qi Jiguang comforted him: "Nantang Gong doesn't have to worry too much, the reform of the Beijing camp is the emperor's decision, and the emperor has this intention as early as in the imperial pole, and the headquarters is just making some suggestions in it."

The reason why the emperor did this, presumably Nantang Gong also knew that it was all to completely eliminate the hidden dangers in northern Xinjiang. Because of this, there is no way that the Praetorian Guard will not change significantly before Chahar is eliminated, and as long as the Praetorian Guard performs well in the battle to destroy the remnants, there will be enough reason for the current system to survive.

Therefore, Nantang Gong, instead of worrying about these now, the Praetorian Guard should further step up training, reserve materials, and strive to make a prestige in that battle, make great achievements, and lay the foundation for eternity. ”

Qi Jiguang nodded, sighed lightly, and laughed at himself: "What Da Si Nong said is right, but his hard work is here, and he can't help but feel worried in the end." ”

Gao pragmatic comforted him casually, turned his head and asked Ma Chengxuan: "Ma Biaotong, what are you from?" ”

Ma Chengxuan smiled bitterly and bowed, and first confessed: "Dasi Nong forgives the sin, originally I didn't plan to come to the humble position, but unfortunately my uncle sent a letter, saying that after this time I went to the northwest with Da Si Nong, I Datong Zhuwei won a lot of merits for fighting Dasi Nong's tiger might, and many of my colleagues heard that the Praetorian Guards drilled strictly and trained hard, and they all hoped to send the rest of the family to ......."

After listening to this, Gao Pragmatic thought for a while, shook his head and said: "The Praetorian Guard is now flawless, you know this, even if the headquarters has not stepped down, this matter will not be easy to handle for a while." ”

Ma Chengxuan smiled bitterly: "Yes, yes, the lowly position naturally knows, but it's just ...... Uh, the lowly office felt that his uncle was probably also entangled and couldn't do it, so he had to let the lowly job come to visit, at least not let people gossip about our Ma family behind his back. ”

This is understandable, the Ma family is now clear that he is the descendant of someone who attaches great importance to him, if the township party of Datong Zhuwei asks the Ma family to pass on a word on behalf of the Ma family, the Ma family does not agree, this reputation among the township is not stinky? Nowadays, people pay special attention to nostalgia, and the so-called rabbits do not eat the grass next to the nest, which is probably the case.

Gao pragmatic just bowed slightly, and didn't say much. But Ma Chengxuan is inexperienced, Qi Jiguang's generation of military gods is also an old fritter in officialdom, but he is an expert in observing words and feelings, and he has already heard that Gao Shishi's words just now are in his words.

Qi Jiguang saw that Ma Chengxuan didn't hear it, so he had no choice but to break it himself, coughed lightly, and said, "Dasi Nong, forgive me, the last general has some ears...... You just said that 'for a while' is not easy? He accentuated the phrase "for a moment."

Gao Pragmatic stretched out his hand and pointed at him, and said with a smile: "Nantang Gong, you call this the back of your ear?" ”

Qi Jiguang just smiled and said nothing. Odd book e-book

Gao pragmatic said helplessly: "Originally, I had an idea, I could add one more person to each officer position in the Praetorian Guard, but unfortunately I left my post before I had time to do it, and I am afraid that this matter will have to be delayed, see when I have time to mention it to the emperor, and then ask the new Rong Zheng Lang to be ......."

This sentence surprised Qi Jiguang and Ma Chengxuan at the same time, and a calm person like Qi Jiguang couldn't help but widen his eyes and hurriedly asked: "Ah, Da Si Nong originally planned to double the Janissary Army?" ”

Gao pragmatic smiled: "Otherwise, the army will not be expanded." ”

Qi Jiguang was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise: "If you don't expand the army, how can you double the number of officers?" ”

Gao pragmatic said: How can I explain to you Germany's "100,000 Army Plan" after World War I?

After World War I, Germany was limited in size as a defeated country, and the Wehrmacht was called the Wehrmacht, requiring no more than 100,000 people. As a result, von Seckert, then commander-in-chief of the German Defense Forces, geniusly came up with a "100,000 Army Plan", which laid a solid foundation for the super-high quality of the German army during World War II.

La Benau, the author of Seckt's biography, said after the German victory over the Anglo-French forces: "Without Seckt, there would be no staff in the real sense of the word [in 1940], because this organization could have been established through the efforts of many generations."

No matter how talented and hard the officers are, it is impossible to build up overnight. Conceptual continuity is necessary to ensure leadership in the face of the severe trials of reality. The knowledge or abilities of an individual are not enough. In war, the ability of the majority developed by land is necessary. It takes decades for this collective capacity to develop successful ......"

As early as 1921, Seckert was secretly busy on paper designing a full-fledged German army, and humbly justified his activities with the Entente Control Committee.

Conscription was forbidden, and Seckt regarded this strength as the core of the future German army, a melting pot from which a million-strong army would be produced when possible. These 100,000 people are 100,000 backbones, and once it is decided to expand, the small soldiers will become sergeants, and the sergeants will become officers.

Seckt's description of strategy, tactics, and other ideas does not have much reference value for Gao Pragmatism now, but his idea of cultivating officers is something that Gao Pragmatism attaches special importance to, but how to express it to Qi Jiguang is a bit troublesome.

Gao pragmatic had to be described in a language that Qi Jiguang could understand and "have rules to follow": "To put it simply, this plan is somewhat similar to the cabinet's observation of politics, but of course the specific situation is somewhat different. The main hall means that in addition to the official one, there is also a probationary officer for every position in the Praetorian Guard. ”

When he said this, he pointed at Ma Chengxuan and said: "For example, Ma Xietong, you are the status of the co-unification, and now that the Praetorian Guard is full, it is impossible for the headquarters to transfer you out for no reason and arrange another person to replace you." But what if the headquarters needs to train another general at the same time?

You can set up a 'probationary coordinator' in addition to your co-ordinator position, this midship-co-ordinator is not a real military commander, and the main purpose of his stay with you is to learn from you, learn how you train, how to lead troops, and how to handle various affairs in the first co-ordination.

As for you, you also have the responsibility and obligation to take him well, because his performance in the future is linked to you - in other words, he is apprenticed by your side, and if he makes meritorious service in the future, then he will have a share of his meritorious service; If he is defeated, then you will be responsible for his crimes...... The main department said so, do you two understand? ”

Qi Jiguang said with a smile: "Da Si Nong spoke thoroughly and explained in simple terms, although the last general was dull, he could still understand it." Then he paused for a moment and pondered, "Da Si Nong's plan is from a high position, and the general thinks it is extremely useful. But there is one thing that the last general still wants to ask for clarification. ”

Gao pragmatically nodded and said, "Nantang Gong said that it doesn't matter. ”

Qi Jiguang said: "This trainee officer ...... Is his own substantive position similar to that of the Cabinet Observer, far below the object of his study? ”

Gao pragmatic smiled: "Nantang Gong is worried that I will let the company commander go to follow the co-commander for apprenticeship?" Of course not. The meaning of the main hall is that, for example, the children of the Yin officials originally came to the Praetorian Guard and wanted to give him an assistant, but how could the Praetorian Guard come as soon as they said it? All need to go through the apprenticeship first, and the apprenticeship time is not short, at least two or three years.

After the apprenticeship was completed, the Praetorian Guard recognized his qualifications as an officer, and he could transfer the rest of the towns and armies with his own position as a trainee officer, such as the rank of probationary co-commander. ”

"Oh......" Ma Chengxuan suddenly realized, and said: "That is to say, he came to the Praetorian Guard to exercise, and the Praetorian Guard gave him the opportunity to exercise, but his position is not really in the Praetorian Guard, and after the apprenticeship is completed in the future, he can be transferred to another place by virtue of his seniority in the Praetorian Guard." ”

Gao Pragmatic said lightly: "Not bad." ”

Ma Chengxuan stopped talking, and Gao Pragmatic raised his eyebrows slightly: "Are you saying that I'm afraid that in this way, many people will feel that it is meaningless to come to the Praetorian Guard to exercise, so they simply don't come?" ”

Ma Chengxuan was a little embarrassed, but he still didn't defend himself, which was an admission in disguise.

Gao pragmatic shook his head and said: "No, the apprenticeship in the Praetorian Guard is completed, and it will inevitably be promoted when it is transferred, and this will definitely be explained to the emperor." ”

Qi Jiguang's heart moved, and he asked: "Ah, is this the 'military academy' that Da Si Nong once talked to the last general a few years ago?" ”

Gao Pragmatic smiled when he heard this, nodded and said, "Although there are differences, it is roughly the same." ”

Qi Jiguang sighed: "It's a pity, if Dasi Nong is in the office of Rong Zheng, he will ...... Oh, look at the end of this old fool, the big Si Nong is promoted, and the last general should be congratulated. ”

Gao pragmatic waved his hand and said: "It's okay, even if I leave office, I will also promote this matter, Nantang Gong doesn't have to worry." ”

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Thank you for the monthly ticket support of the book friend "Cao Mianzi", thank you!

PS: Yesterday, I originally planned to leave the chapter on meeting with Qi Jiguang blank, but if I think about it, I will write it, postpone the affairs of the court bureau a little later, and leave it to talk with the nobles.