Chapter 11

Zhou Fengji continued, "The border troops here in Xuanfu and Datong are still quite elite. Young Master hasn't seen the troops in Henan and Shandong; they are even worse than these."

"Can they be even worse?"

Zhang Han felt his understanding of the lower limits of the Ming army being refreshed. He had read some books about the military and bureaucracy of the late Ming dynasty, but at the time, he still thought the literati were exaggerating. It wasn't until he saw it with his own eyes that he understood what the so-called vast army of 1.8 to 2 million soldiers in the Ming dynasty was all about.

It turns out that these beggar-like soldiers are still considered elite!

Zhang Han's doubts were unfounded. The Xuanfu and Datong troops were indeed elite. Even during the second year of Chongzhen when the Manchu troops invaded, the Xuanfu troops performed far better than the Liaodong troops. Man Gui led several thousand Xuanfu troops in several bloody battles against the Later Jin troops, far surpassing the so-called Liaodong iron cavalry, who always turned their backs to the enemy. The western Ming troops, especially the Qin troops, were all elite. These northwestern border troops were the backbone of the Ming army. Once this backbone was broken, with the main Qin troops under Sun Chuanting being annihilated, the Ming dynasty was finished.

The Ming troops in front of him, though ragged, still looked like soldiers. Most of them were hereditary soldiers, and there were quite a few experienced veterans in the ranks. Zhang Han carefully observed them and could faintly sense the killing aura they emitted, which made him finally accept Zhou Fengji's assessment.

But the Ming dynasty was really too stingy and cunning with its own defending army...

"I can't explain this clearly..."

Hearing Zhang Han's words, Zhou Fengji shook his head. He was just an experienced shopkeeper who could only speak about what he had seen. He lacked the ability to summarize and analyze in depth. Different perspectives come from different levels. Moreover, the composition and logistics of the Ming army, as well as its organization and command, would probably take hundreds of books to fully explain. Expecting a shopkeeper of this era to explain these things was asking too much.

Thinking of this, Zhang Han smiled to himself and turned his gaze to the deputy general.

Xinping Fort and over a dozen other military forts all belonged to the Datong Garrison, which was also under the jurisdiction of the Yanghe Military Commissioner. Under the Yanghe Military Commissioner, there were two routes: the Yanghe Xinping Route and the Yanghe East Route. All these forts and the Tiancheng, Zhenlu, and Yanghe guards were directly managed by the Yanghe Military Commissioner. The Datong Garrison was a military town under the command of the general, who in turn was under the Five Military Directorates. The highest authority was a civil official, the general was in charge of military operations, and the daily military and civilian affairs were managed by the military commissioner and the deputy commissioner. The local administration and military management were handled by the route deputy generals and the guard commanders, forming a relatively stable political and military ecosystem.

Of course, from Zhang Han's perspective, the Ming dynasty's management was very crude, with poor oversight of officials and inadequate prevention of civilian unrest. It was not even effective, let alone efficient.

However, given the communication and road conditions of this era, a loose management system was inevitable. It would only be until a new, more stable management system emerged that efficiency could be discussed.

Lai Tongxin, the deputy general of the Yanghe Xinping Route, was already dismounted and had climbed up to the high platform, sitting in the center.

Around the deputy general were some battalion commanders, who might also serve as the fort commanders and defense officers. They held military ranks such as deputy commander, assistant commander, or battalion commander.

The deputy general and battalion commanders were appointed military positions without specific ranks. Each officer had a rank in the guard system to determine their rank. Lai Tongxin, as a deputy general, was likely a deputy commander or assistant commander, a second or third-rank military official, which was considered a high-ranking military officer in the Ming dynasty.

The importance of Xinping Fort was evident from this. It was not guarded by a battalion commander but by the deputy general of the route himself, with over 1,600 soldiers, far exceeding the normal number for a military fort.

For some reason, when Zhang Han looked at the deputy general, he felt that someone was also observing him from that direction.

The gaze seemed to be among the group of civil officials and clerks below the platform.

The horse market had managers, usually civil officials like the guard clerk, who served as the judge, responsible for "collecting taxes from the barbarians and rewarding them." Civil officials and clerks with such duties would not come to such an occasion.

Zhang Han found it strange that someone among the civil officials would be paying attention to him.

He looked around, seeing the short-winged black hats and green and blue official robes. The gaze seemed to have moved elsewhere, and Zhang Han could not catch the person's eye again, so he gave up.

At this moment, the third drumbeat sounded, and the sound of hooves came from the north gate. Zhang Han's gaze turned to the north, where he saw that over a thousand Mongols had gathered at the northern fence, each leading one or several horses, wearing thick sheepskin coats and yellow outer garments, with round or pointed hats on their heads. From a distance, with the north wind blowing, a faint smell of musk seemed to waft over.

In this era, the Mongols almost never bathed, let alone wash their coats. They dealt with livestock daily, so their smell was naturally strong. With thousands of them gathered, the nickname "stinky Tartars" was well-deserved.

Liang Hong came over and said, "These are the Tartar market supervisors and the border guards."

Before the official opening of the market, not only did the Ming side send a deputy general and over 500 soldiers, but the Mongol side also sent a prince responsible for border security, who also served as a market supervisor. This was a result of mutual agreement, ensuring the interests and safety of both sides.

The Mongol market supervisor brought only about twenty riders, but they were different from ordinary herders, all wearing armor, iron helmets, and carrying long spears. The leading Tartar official rode to the opposite side of the platform, saluting from a distance, and Lai Tongxin on the platform returned the salute. At this point, Zhou Fengji, somewhat impatient, said, "Everyone is here, why hasn't the market opened yet?"

For a while, the market did not open, and both the Mongols and the Han merchants were anxious. The merchants were eager to sell their goods and make money, while the Tartars, who had traveled far, were eager to buy and return home.

The small monthly market mainly served the poor Mongols. Zhang Han had been collecting news and reports from recent decades and knew that during the Jiajing era, the horse market was initially only an official market, and the small market was not held monthly but every few months or even once a year. This led to rampant smuggling along the border, with many poor Mongols coming to trade on their own, exchanging a pot for several horses or a few bushels of grain for one horse. These issues arose during the early opening of the horse market, where Han merchants made huge profits, but the court was concerned that if the Tartars were cheated too much, they would come to rob, leading to unrest along the border. Thus, the monthly market was established, ensuring fair trade under mutual supervision.

This small market was different from the official market, as it was filled with herders eager to buy and return home, each bringing furs, horses, cattle, and sheep, waiting to exchange for cloth, grain, and miscellaneous goods. The delay in opening the market caused the Tartars to become restless.

At this moment, a man in the uniform of a battalion commander stood up on the platform and began to speak loudly.

Many Mongols understood Chinese, and as soon as the Han official spoke, someone translated, so there was no worry about the crowd not understanding.

"Yesterday, seventeen Han merchants and fifteen Tartars were caught smuggling. They violated the rules of China and the instructions of Altan Khan. Before the market opens today, the Tartar border guards will take the Tartars back, and each Han merchant will receive twenty strokes and be placed in a cangue for three days!"

Zhang Han didn't hear the first few sentences clearly but understood that they had caught Han merchants and Tartars smuggling and were punishing them today as a warning.

He looked around, and the faces of the merchants and shopkeepers were calm, completely unaffected. The apprentices were still chatting and laughing, not taking the matter seriously.

The Tartars in the north were also unaffected, their faces showing a mix of anticipation and impatience.

Zhang Han turned to Zhou Fengji and whispered, "Uncle Zhou, is it always like this every time the market opens?"

"Of course not, it's not every time. Isn't it annoying?"

Zhou Fengji shook his head, a look of disdain on his face. "The smugglers are all small traders, earning a few pennies. Smuggling happens from Datong to Xuangfu and west to Gansu. What big evil can they do with such small businesses? So many smugglers, and only a dozen are punished every few months. It's just to show the higher-ups. If anything goes wrong, they can also explain to their superiors and the court."

Zhang Han nodded slightly, feeling a sense of understanding.

Indeed, as Zhou Fengji said, smuggling to the Mongols along the border was a daily occurrence involving thousands of people. Catching a dozen unlucky ones every few months was just to show the higher-ups. This kind of bureaucratic maneuvering was the same in later eras. When nothing happened, no one cared, but when something went wrong, all departments would jump in to show their concern. The principle was the same.

At this moment, the dozen or so Han smugglers were brought to the center of the market, and several dozen soldiers were already waiting. Zhang Han saw that these "merchants" were dressed like ordinary people, and some clearly looked like poor peasants struggling to make ends meet. He guessed that their smuggling involved a few bushels of grain, a few jars of pickled vegetables, or a few baskets of eggs. Being caught was truly unfortunate for them.