So Great Ming still had very strong control.
It was not until Great Ming's final year that those officials began disobeying orders in large numbers.
Though the emperor could not simply kill whoever he wanted.
It was almost the same.
To be honest, Ming's control over its officials was still fairly strong.
That was premised on the Plant Guard not collapsing.
Southern Song was actually much the same.
Their palace defenses were not all that tight.
Of course, the Song Dynasty itself had risen to power through a coup.
So it did care about palace security.
But caring was one thing.
The people at the top cared; those below did not.
It was like parents wanting their children to study hard.
But even if they explained every method until their mouths went dry and broke sticks beating them, children who did not want to study and could not be persuaded still would not study.
Palace guards were the same.
They had to make a living too.
Some of them had to go work at the markets after getting off duty.
That was right. Soldiers guarding the palace walls often had to take side jobs after their shifts just to support their families.
Their pay was not high to begin with.
And they were often reassigned to do work in the Imperial Palace.
Where would they find time to drill?
Under such circumstances, they were easily infiltrated.
With modern spies' ability to infiltrate, the entire Imperial Palace gradually became as full of holes as a sieve.
Before a modernized organization, they were nothing more than a giant sieve.
They simply could not understand how terrifying modern organization and training could be.
They understood even less how greatly cultivating conviction and understanding one's objectives could enhance combat effectiveness.
Every soldier understood what