As Yuan Chonghuan's speech was finished, Wu Huai also stopped talking a little. Zhu Youzhen noticed Wu Huai's expression, and couldn't help but say to him, "Do you have anything to say?" ”

"The minister heard from the Mongols who had fled from Inner Khalkha that of the eight Otoks of the Chahar tribe in the hands of Lin Dan Khan, Naiman and Ao Han had betrayed Lin Dan Khan in the summer, attached themselves to Jiannu, and made an oath with Huang Taiji.

Lin Dan Khan seems to have intended to move westward to avoid the attack of Jiannu. Wu Huai told the rumors he had heard from the fleeing Mongols.

Mao Yuanyi was suddenly a little angry, and he couldn't help blurting out a question: "Why didn't such important information appear in the written report?" ”

Wu Huai was a little dazed, and subconsciously said: "No one has ever asked me, and this is just a rumor told by a small number of Mongols who fled from the vicinity of Liaohetao, and many people say that this is a rumor." ”

Mao Yuanyi said with a pale face: "If this information is true, then Jiannu will no longer have a restraining force in Liaodong, and Jiannu can pursue the Chahar Department to the west, attack North Korea to the east, and even attack the Ningjin defense line in the south." As soon as the enemies on three sides are gone, the game of Jiannu has come to life. ”

Zhu Youzhen beckoned to him and said, "Don't be so excited, you better sit down first." As for the information about Jiannu and the Chahar Ministry, I have already sent someone to collect it. If this information is true, it will come back soon. ”

Mao Yuanyi arched his hand at Chongzhen and said: "The minister was too arrogant before, and I ask Your Majesty to forgive me, please give me some time, and the minister is willing to re-collect information and write a report on the enemy situation." ”

Zhu Youzhen waved his hand and said, "There is no need to do this, I asked the General Staff to compile this report on the enemy situation of the Ming Dynasty, just to see what you think about the enemy and the war." I already know this well. ”

Mao Yuanyi sat back in his heart with a sigh of depression, it was the first time he was so blocked and speechless. Although he seems to be arrogant on weekdays, he is not the kind of stubborn person who will not admit defeat.

What's more, Chongzhen did not oppress him with power, but only persuaded people with reason, and he was naturally more reluctant to lose his character in front of the emperor.

Sun Chengzong looked at Chongzhen and said calmly: "I don't know what Your Majesty has gained after listening to this report?" ”

Zhu Youzhen pondered for a while, and then said, "Does Mr. Sun want to hear the truth?" ”

Rao is Sun Chengzong has seen countless storms, and he was also a little confused by Chongzhen, who played cards out of common sense.

He turned his head sideways and exchanged glances with Lu Shanji before he came back to his senses and said, "The ministers naturally want to hear the truth from Your Majesty. ”

Zhu Youzhen hesitated and said, "Although the enemy in your report is not wrong, your description of the purpose of the war is completely different from what I imagined. ”

Sun Chengzong's gaze Chongzhen said suspiciously: "Then what is the war in Your Majesty's heart?" ”

"Although I don't read many books, I think that no matter how many years have passed, no matter whether the books are slanderous or boastful about the war. Stripped of all the modifying language and the judgment of personal feelings, the essence of war is essentially only two words, killing. Zhu Youzhen said calmly.

The three military attachés sitting on Chongzhen's left were not surprised by Chongzhen's statement, but faintly resonated.

The faces of several civil officials sitting on Chongzhen's right hand invariably changed, and Sun Chengzong said in a calm tone as much as possible: "Your Majesty, although Mencius said: There is no righteous war in the Spring and Autumn Period. However, I am a great Ming Dynasty to fight far away, but I can't explain the purpose of war simply by killing people. ”

"What cloak to put on the war is not a question that the General Staff should consider, it is a question that I and the Cabinet need to consider. And the meaning and essence of war are two different things, isn't it, Mr. Sun? ”

Regarding Chongzhen's sophistry, Sun Chengzong was a little speechless. If it weren't for this, he would definitely have to correct Chongzhen's overly utilitarian thinking.

But as Chongzhen said before the meeting, anything can be discussed at today's meeting, but morality is not discussed.

And Sun Chengzong has experienced so many ups and downs, and he has long seen through the world, and now what he hopes most is to see the Ming Dynasty stop the decline in Liaodong and reverse the unfavorable situation for Jiannu before closing his eyes.

Chongzhen, who had just ascended the throne, was a little less interested in learning than his past disciple Tianqi. However, in dealing with the personnel of the court, he pays more attention to the balance of forces in the DPRK and China than the Apocalypse, which is a thing worth celebrating for the current Ming Dynasty.

And in Sun Chengzong's heart, the master-apprentice relationship with the Apocalypse has also been transferred to Chongzhen. When Apocalypse died, he felt an extraordinary grief in his heart, on the one hand, he lost a wise disciple; On the other hand, they are worried about the loss of a young monarch in the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, in this situation, he still held down Lu Shanji beside him, not wanting the young monarch to feel too much pressure.

Sun Chengzong adjusted his emotions before he said, "If Your Majesty thinks that war is killing, then what are you going to do?" ”

Zhu Youzhen was a little surprised, he thought that Sun Chengzong and others would not be able to accept his statement, and took the initiative to withdraw from the table to express his protest.

In this way, he can find an excuse to use Yu Zhigao, You Shiwei, and Wu Huai as the team, and then recruit and transfer martial arts students to build the general staff he wants.

Without the highly respected Sun Chengzong, this general staff will become his hall. Then through the General Staff to reorganize the armies in various places, and finally control the army in his own hands, this is his idea.

If he had raised the General Staff with the military as the team from the beginning, then he would definitely be collectively boycotted by the civilian officials, but if the civilian officials disdained to participate in a * naked immoral and only utilitarian General Staff is of course another matter.

Zhu Youzhen thought very thoughtfully, the only thing he didn't expect was that Sun Chengzong didn't leave angrily.

Hearing Sun Chengzong's calm inquiry, Zhu Youzhen gritted his teeth and continued to say emotionlessly: "Naturally, we want to reorganize and rebuild the current army of the Ming Dynasty and turn it into an efficient killing machine. ”

Lu Shanji finally couldn't bear it anymore, and he said to Chongzhen with some excitement: "Your Majesty, please be cautious, since ancient times, all saints and sons of heaven must be benevolent, and it is the immoral act of the king of the Emperor to kill. ”

"Boshun." Hearing that Lu Shanji compared Chongzhen to the king of the Emperor, Sun Chengzong hurriedly stopped.

Zhu Youzhen's gaze turned to look at Lu Shanji, and after watching him calm down again, Zhu Youzhen spoke: "Training the army into an efficient killing machine does not prove that I am addicted to killing.

I can understand that you can't accept my thoughts now. But for me, the army doesn't need to distinguish whether killing people is moral, they just need to scrupulously carry out the orders of their superiors.

It is the responsibility of the military department to distinguish whether it is moral to kill people. If an army is up to itself to decide whether or not to kill on the battlefield, then why would I spend so many people's taxes to feed them?

What's more, benevolence is not for the enemy, but for the people of the Ming Dynasty. If I give benevolence to Jiannu, then what will I give to the people of the Ming Dynasty? ”

Sun Chengzong had to carefully advise: "Your Majesty, the ancients said: everything where the sun and the moon shine and where the rivers go is the land of the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty, as the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, is naturally the lord of all peoples. Although Jiannu is evil, the people under Jiannu are still His Majesty's people, and they cannot be easily abandoned. ”

Zhu Youzhen thought for a while before replying: "If there is no strong army to defeat Jiannu, even if I say that I will not abandon them, haven't I actually abandoned them?" ”

Sun Chengzong couldn't think of how to convince this stubborn young man, and the hall suddenly became quiet for a while.

In fact, Sun Chengzong and others also know that the army that Chongzhen said is an efficient killing machine, and it is not so unreasonable.

The army of the Ming Dynasty was defeated and retreated when it encountered Jiannu, isn't it just not as efficient as Jiannu's killing. But this kind of thing can be tacitly understood, Chongzhen is now nakedly telling the essence of the army, which makes these saint disciples feel very uncomfortable.

Seeing that there was an embarrassing silence on the field, Yuan Chonghuan rolled his eyes, and couldn't help but come out and say: "Speaking of which, in the end, we still have to return to the reorganization of the Ming army, why don't you ask Your Majesty to tell us how to reorganize and establish a new army?" ”

Regarding Yuan Chonghuan's liberation, Sun Chengzong and Lu Shanji both nodded slightly in approval. Zhu Youzhen glanced at Yuan Chonghuan before speaking.

"I checked and found that there were more than 3,000 people in a battalion of the Qi family army back then, and the battalion was divided into four levels: battalion, officer, sentry, and team.

I felt that a battalion of about 3,000 men was the most suitable, and the battalion was divided into four levels to facilitate command. Therefore, I asked the General Staff to form a complete battalion on the basis of the establishment of the Qi family's army.

However, the new army should have a new atmosphere, and it would be better to change the four levels of battalion, officer, sentry, and squad to battalion, company, platoon, and squad.

In addition, staff officers should be set up at the battalion and company levels, and first, they should assist the commander-in-chief in drawing up the battle plan; Second, it is necessary to supervise the guarantee of logistics and military funds and to verify whether there are any errors in the enforcement of military law by military judges.

Logistics support personnel and military judges should be set up at the platoon level, these are my ideas. ”

Hearing that Chongzhen didn't have any strange ideas about the army, but just divided the power of the original barracks generals and distributed them to the staff officers, logistics, and military judges, Sun Chengzong finally put his mind at ease.

Yuan Chonghuan on the side thought thoughtfully, wouldn't this mean that in the future, those border town commanders would no longer be able to manage the army as private property.

The General Staff, which manages the army in a unified manner through subordinate staff officers, will become the highest command body of the Ming army. Then the Governor's Office and the Ministry of War of the Five Armies will inevitably be marginalized.