parentshiftbook Chapter 185: 1.91 Million And More Than 2.8 Million Terrifying Troops [Please Subscribe, Please Subs
Chapter 185: 1.91 Million And More Than 2.8 Million Terrifying Troops [Please Subscribe, Please Subs
Even Yan Changqing couldn't help but look surprised when he heard the number of Ming soldiers revealed by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Then Weiwei concentrated and began to recall the military power of the Ming Dynasty, if he remembered correctly.
The Ming Dynasty Guard was divided into the Beijing Camp Army to protect the capital. There were 48 guards, totaling more than 277,800 people.
Local guards are divided into two categories, namely the Jiubian area and the coastal area. Among them, the number of Ming soldiers in the Jiubian area is as high as one million, and there are about 170 guards.
There are fifty-four guards, ninety-nine stations, 353 inspection departments, and 997 beacons in the coastal area, with a total strength of more than 400,000.
Therefore, when Zhu Yuanzhang said that the Ming Dynasty had 1.68 million soldiers, he was not exaggerating, but a real number [perhaps not even counting those rural warriors in the west.
Moreover, it is only the summer of the twelfth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty. Such a number of troops is not the peak period of the Ming Dynasty, or even the peak military power of Zhu Yuanzhang and Hongwu Dynasty.
The peak period of Zhu Yuanzhang's military power during the Hongwu Dynasty should be at the end of the Hongwu period.
In the twenty-sixth year of Hongwu (1393), the number of Ming soldiers combined with the capital army and local frontier troops was as high as 1.91 million!!!
With such a terrifying force size, it should be said that he is indeed worthy of the Hongwu Emperor who is full of martial virtue!!!
Of course, the one with more martial virtues than Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was Yongle Emperor Zhu Di. The peak physical strength of Zhu Di's dynasty reached more than 280 square meters.
However, there is actually a lot of water in this, because by the end of the Yongle period, the guard system had collapsed, many military households had fled, and generals at all levels had no pay, etc.
Therefore, conservative estimates suggest that the number of Ming soldiers during Zhu Di's reign should still be around two million.
In addition, during Zhu Di's reign, artillery was further developed, the Shenji Battalion shined, Zheng He's voyages to the West, the shipbuilding industry flourished, and so on.
For land battles, there are millions of troops who fought in multiple Northern Expeditions, as well as powerful artillery; for naval battles, there are also naval warships capable of sailing across the ocean.
It can be said that whether it was land warfare or naval warfare, the Yongle Dynasty had reached a certain peak.
Generally speaking, the Yongle Dynasty where Zhu Di lived should be the strongest peak period of the Ming Dynasty in terms of military strength.
As for the so-called "three or four million" troops of Chongzhen in the later period, it is just nonsense. It is hard to say whether the real military strength was one million.
And even if there were still one million, with the same strength, it would not be difficult for the Hongwu dynasty's army or the Yongle dynasty's army to annihilate the Chongzhen dynasty's army.
The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty in the early Ming Dynasty and the late Ming Dynasty can be said to have two completely different beliefs and wills in terms of belief and will.
After reviewing the military power of the Ming Dynasty in his mind, Yan Changqing opened his eyes and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said:
"The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty today are different from the soldiers of past dynasties."
"Now the Ming Dynasty implements the garrison and field system. The guard at the border has three-thirds of the soldiers responsible for guarding, and the remaining seven-tenths of the soldiers are engaged in farming. All the food harvested by the military garrison is provided to the soldiers."
"So from this perspective, out of the 1.68 million Ming soldiers, there are always more than 1.17 million Ming soldiers who need to be cultivated."
"In other words, these 1.17 million Ming soldiers are not actually completely idle."
"The number of soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who were not involved in production at all was about half a million."
After hearing Yan Changqing talking about the military farming system, Zhu Yuanzhang just remembered the military farming system he implemented under Liu Bowen's suggestion.
Indeed, according to what Yan Changqing said, although there are 1.68 million soldiers in the Ming Dynasty, there are only about 500,000 soldiers who are not engaged in production.
This number of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty who are not engaged in production is half less than the number of 1 million soldiers who are not engaged in production given by Yan Changqing.
This means that there are still many surplus people who can be supported by the people of the Ming Dynasty.
And the more surplus people who are not engaged in production, the less pressure the people will bear.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but say proudly: "I can support a million soldiers without spending a grain of rice from the people!!!" Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's proud look, Yan Changqing smiled and said: "The Weisuo Tuntian system does have many benefits." "First, it is of great benefit to stabilizing the army and quickly recruiting soldiers and conscripting troops during wartime." The Weisuo Tuntian system realizes the integration of soldiers and farmers, and all the food harvested by the military is supplied to the army, reducing the burden on the people of the country. "Third, it avoids the huge consumption in the transportation process caused by the state providing military supplies everywhere. "
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly when he heard this, expressing his agreement and satisfaction.
It's not easy. The salary system for royal relatives, the system of vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty, the system of circulating treasure notes of the Ming Dynasty, and even the basic national policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce that he had formulated before were basically criticized by Yan Changqing.
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It is rare to have a military farming system now, and it can be praised from Yan Changqing.
This is also not easy!
[Bo Wen, you are still very smart. At least the military farming system you proposed can be praised by Mr. Yan. It's a pity that you died a little early.]
[If you didn't die so early, maybe you can still sit with Mr. Yan today and discuss the country.]
Zhu Yuanzhang inevitably thought of Liu Bowen who died of illness, and sighed slightly in his heart.
Yan on the podium Changqing, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang's proud look, a faint smile flashed across the corner of his mouth, and then changed the subject:
"However, the military farming system of the garrisons also has a big drawback and a fundamental flaw!!!"
"Especially the latter fundamental flaw, if it is not solved, it will take less than a hundred years for the military farming system of the garrisons of the Ming Dynasty to collapse."
"By then, all the Ming Dynasty soldiers currently supported will become a huge burden on the people of the Ming Dynasty!!!"
The proud look on Zhu Yuanzhang's face has not yet faded, and after hearing what Yan Changqing said, his face turned stupid.
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