Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

After parting with Zhang Tongkui, Zhang Tongchang continued to go to Alukhorchin to read the imperial edict to Zhang Xianzhong and others.

Due to the simple conditions, Kong Zhenyun still needed to bring the official edict and seal, so the enthronement ceremony was not grand.

But Zhang Xianzhong's Xihaibo was a real person——

From now on, he is a hereditary earl canonized by the Ming Dynasty and can call himself a lord.

People who had made contributions, such as Hu Liangfu, were also conferred titles such as hereditary baron and hereditary knighthood.

These people were all in high spirits and were preparing to choose fiefdoms in this area.

Zhang Tongchang looked at Hu Liangfu, who was looking down at him, and said to Zhang Xianzhong meaningfully:
"General Zhang, from now on I will address you as the Earl of Xihai!"

"This makes you a noble of the Ming Dynasty. You must abide by the rules."

"Otherwise, if we offend the public, Xihaibo will be isolated in the noble council?"

Zhang Xianzhong was still immersed in the surprise of becoming an earl, and said loudly:

“Isolated, why isolated?”

"When has Lao Zhang ever broken the rules?"

"I will do whatever the Emperor tells me to do."

"The emperor forbids me to do this, but have you ever seen me, Old Zhang, do this?"

He grabbed Hu Liangfu, pinched his shoulders and said to Zhang Tongchang:
"General Hu, do you think I, Old Zhang, have ever broken the rules?"

"You are the military supervisor of the Great West Camp. You have records of everything the people in the Great West Camp have done."

How could Hu Liangfu dare to speak nonsense at this time? In addition, he knew that although he had offered his property before, he got the title of baron by following Zhang Xianzhong's meritorious service.

At this moment, facing Zhang Tongchang, he forced a smile and said:
"General Zhang... No, everything Lord Zhang did was allowed by the Emperor."

"Even if there are some out of line things, it doesn't break the rules."

When Zhang Xianzhong heard this, he pinched his palm and couldn't help but increase his strength.

Hu Liangfu's face was distorted with pain and he didn't even dare to say such words. He praised Zhang Tongchang wildly and only talked about Zhang Xianzhong's achievements.

Zhang Xianzhong laughed loudly. Zhang Tongchang thought he was unruly, but he also thought the relationship between the two was very interesting.

The way they get along is probably unique in the Ming Dynasty.

No matter how unruly an ordinary person is, how could he dare to treat the military supervisor sent by the emperor in this way?

Taking out two secret letters, Zhang Tongchang handed them to the two and said:
"This is the secret decree from the Emperor. You can translate it yourself."

"If you have anything to say to the Emperor, you can also write a secret letter and I will take it back with me when I return."

"You know the rules of reading secret decrees, right? I don't need to explain it to you."

Zhang Xianzhong and Hu Liangfu said they knew, and each took the secret letter, appearing very respectful.

However, when returning to the camp, Zhang Xianzhong casually threw the secret letter to Hu Liangfu and instructed:

"Old Hu, my code book is with you. Please help me translate this secret order."

"Just tell me when you've translated it, and let me know what the Emperor's instructions are."

Hu Liangfu smiled, but he did not dare to translate and send it over as Zhang Xianzhong said. Instead, he took the code book and the secret letter and translated it in Zhang Xianzhong's tent.

The codes they used were all formulated by the Jinyiwei Confidentiality Department. Zhu Youjian asked Jinyiwei to formulate an encryption method based on the secret codes he saw in movies and TV series.

This ciphertext still uses digital codes when it is transmitted by carrier pigeons or signal towers, but the content decoded by the digital code is not the final ciphertext.

Only by taking a specific book and following the coding method indicated in the cipher text, looking for a certain page or column in the book and finding the individual words one by one, can you combine them to translate the correct cipher text.

If it is in the mainland, the books used may be those printed by Mingzhi Bookstore, and the information may be leaked if someone knows the title, edition and coding method.

But in Heilongjiang, where books are not sold, the code books used by Hu Liangfu and Zhang Xianzhong were all hand-copied by Jinyiwei personnel. In addition to the one kept by Jinyiwei, they were the only ones in the world who had a copy.

Unless the book was stolen, there was no way the secret decree they had obtained would be leaked.

Zhang Tongchang had a similar code book in his hands, so he was not worried at all that the secret decree would be leaked.

But he could never have imagined that Zhang Xianzhong, in order to be lazy, gave the translation of the secret decree to Hu Liangfu. Hu Liangfu did not dare to hide it from Zhang Xianzhong, and also let Zhang Xianzhong see his secret decree.

The two men in the tent held the secret orders they had received and waited to see what the emperor had to say.

The first thing translated was naturally Zhang Xianzhong's secret decree. Zhang Xianzhong pondered the contents of the secret decree and asked Hu Liangfu:
"What did the Emperor say to you?"

"Does that mean that if I, Old Zhang, don't obey, you will take my head?"

"He was conferred the title of Earl for no reason. I, Old Zhang, feel really uneasy!"

He knew exactly what kind of battle he was fighting, and he also knew that the emperor was well aware of the situation on his side.

Zhang Xianzhong did not think that his contribution was enough to make him a count. Maybe the emperor was planning to get rid of him when he awarded him the title.

In his heart, he was always wary of the officials of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the emperor, the head of the officials.

So when the emperor sent Hu Liangfu to supervise the army, he tried to get rid of all the people around Hu Liangfu, leaving only Hu Liangfu to watch over him.

Of course, he did not dare to neglect this former confidant of Wei Zhongxian. If he had not been worried about killing this man and angering the emperor, Hu Liangfu might have "died of illness" long ago.

Hu Liangfu was also well aware of this situation and behaved himself in the Daxi Camp. He consulted with Zhang Xianzhong on everything and never dared to make his own decisions.

Facing Zhang Xianzhong's question, he immediately handed over the secret decree and said with a flattering smile:

"The Emperor has asked us to fulfill our duties as military supervisors. We will cooperate with whatever the Earl chooses."

"Following Lord Bo in the future, there will be opportunities for promotion and advancement."

"Also, the Emperor asked our family to follow some rules, hoping that the Earl would be a qualified noble."

"Not to mention the various etiquettes, the three major etiquette laws, the Great Ming Etiquette Convention, the Great Ming Enfeoffment Etiquette, and the Great Ming Inheritance Etiquette, are all to be followed by the emperor and his subjects. The drafted articles will be sent to you soon."

"Please rest assured, my Lord. The Emperor has no intention of touching you. You are now an earl. According to the provisions of the Ming Dynasty Enfeoffment Law, even if the Emperor wants to touch you, he still needs the consent of the Noble Council."

Explaining to Zhang Xianzhong the terms of the aristocratic council formulated by the emperor, Hu Liangfu stated that as long as Zhang Xianzhong did not do anything to offend the majority of the nobles, even the emperor could not strip him of his title.

The titles they obtained were hereditary, and they would be able to share weal and woe with the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Zhang Xianzhong had not paid much attention to these things. After hearing Hu Liangfu's explanation, he realized that the title of nobility was far from being as simple as an official position.

In his own opinion, if the Ming Dynasty is regarded as a business and the officials as the shopkeepers, then the nobles are one of the owners of the Ming Dynasty business.

Although he was not as powerful as the emperor, he was not someone that anyone could bully. To deprive him of his status, the consent of the majority of the owners was required.

This made him laugh out loud, and relieved a lot of his worries:
The emperor made this rule to reassure the nobles. He would not kill him casually and make every noble feel insecure.

As long as he does not cause the wrath of heaven and people to rebel against the emperor, his life will be protected and his title will be passed on.

The same goes for Hu Liangfu and others. After being conferred titles by the emperor, these people cannot be killed at will. This made him look at Hu Liangfu and say:

"Looks like I can't just kill you, old man."

"Otherwise, if people find out, wouldn't I, Old Zhang, be breaking the rules among the nobles?"

This is another hidden purpose behind the emperor's conferring of titles on him and Hu Liangfu:

If the House of Nobles can protect him, they can naturally protect others as well.

Although Hu Liangfu was only a baron, far less noble than an earl, he was now a member of the nobility, and killing him at will would break the rules.

Breaking the rules will be punished. When other nobles learn that he killed nobles without authorization, they will not defend him in the noble council, but will strip him of his title. This is the life guarantee given to Hu Liangfu by the emperor, and Hu Liangfu certainly understands it. Even Zhang Tongchang knows it and mentioned it before.

Zhang Xianzhong didn't understand before, but now he understands. He patted Hu Liangfu on the shoulder and laughed:
"Don't worry, Baron Hu. You are a lord now. Who dares to kill you?"

"Stay by my side from now on, and I promise you won't die in battle!"

Hu Liangfu's expression froze when he heard this. He knew that the title bestowed by the emperor could guarantee that Zhang Xianzhong would not kill him at will, but if Zhang Xianzhong sent him to the battlefield to die, it would be difficult to determine whether he would be successful.

Therefore, he could not be at ease and think that Zhang Xianzhong would not dare to touch him just because of his baron title.

Given this man's daring character and the fact that the Great Western Camp was far away in Mobei, the emperor would not investigate further even if he died on the battlefield.

So he couldn't help but bend his back a little, nodding and bowing to Zhang Xianzhong with an extremely humble expression.

Zhang Xianzhong laughed loudly when he saw this, and said to Hu Liangfu:

"This title of Lord Bo really doesn't sound pleasant. It doesn't sound like the majestic title of Lord Jiangling!"

"From now on, you can call me General. In this Great Western Camp, military affairs must be referred to by position."

He obviously doesn't care much about the title and doesn't want to have a bunch of lords under him who can't be killed.

He even scoffed at the emperor's behavior of asking Hu Liangfu to teach him the rules among nobles and hoping that he would be a loyal minister:
"Loyal minister? Noble?"

"Like Lan Yu, the Duke of Liang?"

"I, Old Zhang, don't want to do this!"

Zhang Xianzhong sneered at this in his heart and had no intention of being a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty.

If the emperor wanted to kill him, he would definitely rebel without hesitation. He would not be killed obediently like Lan Yu.

But now that the emperor trusted him very much and had conferred upon him the title of earl, he reluctantly acted like a loyal subject.

Holding his secret decree, he said to Hu Liangfu:

"You have also read the secret decree of this general. What do you think we should choose?"

"Are you staying here to choose a territory and take part in the siege of Nen Korchin?"

"Or should we continue westward and look for the North Sea where Su Wu grazed his sheep?"

These were the two choices the emperor gave him. If he stayed in Alukorchin, the emperor would let him be the garrison commander of the Mohe Military and Civilian Office and be responsible for this area. He could choose the best land as a fiefdom and establish the Xihai Earl Territory.

If he continued to head west, he would search for the North Sea. After he found the North Sea and established his rule, the emperor would promote him to a marquis and allow him to choose an area of ​​400 li to establish a marquisate.

If you find Russians, you can march westward in the direction they came from. If you conquer the Russians' ancestral land, you can make them dukes. You can establish a principality of 500 square miles as a vassal of the Ming Dynasty.

This choice is undoubtedly more tempting than the previous one. Hu Liangfu pondered and said:
"Both choices are good. The emperor is really kind to the general."

"If you stay in Alukorqin, you can be in charge of building Aluk City and be responsible for trade with the tribes in northern Mobei."

"There is no need to say much about the profits here. General, you should know the prosperity of Datong and Zhangjiakou, so that you can become rich and noble in the future."

"And participating in the expedition against Nen Korqin shows that the emperor wants to use generals to fight against the Jianlu."

"After we pacify the invaders, the general will have a chance to become a marquis!"

This is the first choice, and it is also what Hu Liangfu hopes Zhang Xianzhong will choose.

In this way, he could get a hand in the Mobei trade and at the same time choose a territory and bring his brothers and nephews over.

He believed that many soldiers in the Great Western Camp would make the same choice and establish their own territory and take root here.

However, Zhang Xianzhong was obviously not interested in this, and when the emperor appointed him as the eunuch in charge of the Daxiying military, his task was to watch Zhang Xianzhong move westward.

The secret decree he had just translated also mentioned continuing westward in a second layer of secret code.

So, he pointed to the secret decree and said:
"The first option is just the possibility of becoming a marquis, but the hope is not great."

"Because of the suppression of the Jianlu, there will obviously not be many dukes and marquises who will be enthroned."

"The general is far away in Alukorchin, too far from the core of Jianlu. Unless he makes extraordinary achievements, there is no chance of promotion."

"But the second option is different. As long as we discover and occupy the North Sea, the general will be a stable marquis."

"If you find that the Russians have fought back to their homeland, you will have a chance to become a duke."

"By then, you will become Lord Zhang just like Lord Jiangling. You can even become a Duke, which is one level higher than a County Duke."

This made Zhang Xianzhong laugh out loud, and he imagined the scene where Zhang Tongchang called him "Master Zhang".

The emperor used the title to lure him to the west, and he himself had this idea. He wanted to be far away from the Ming Dynasty and be free and unconstrained.

He believes:
As long as you are far enough away from the Ming Dynasty, no rules of the Ming Dynasty will restrict you.

As long as he does not openly rebel against the Ming Dynasty, the current emperor will support him in his westward expedition.

As for the Russians, he didn't take them seriously at all. He would definitely conquer the Russian Kingdom in the future and become the Duke of Ming!

With a loud laugh, Zhang Xianzhong decided:

"Let's go to the North Sea!"

"The mission that the Emperor has given to the Great Western Camp cannot be abandoned halfway."

"I, Zhang, have decided to go to the North Sea where Su Wu grazed sheep."

"But I will not build a marquisate there, but continue to be a duke in the west!"

Full of ambition, his eyes are fixed towards the west.

Hu Liangfu smiled bitterly when he heard this. He knew that Zhang Xianzhong would make this choice, and this choice was also in line with the emperor's expectations.

But for him, it means going to the more remote West in the future, and he doesn’t know whether he can return to Ming Dynasty in this life?
Thinking back to when he had not gone with the group because Taixi was so remote, but had come to Daxiying to serve as a military supervisor, he felt that his choice might have been wrong, and it would be better for him to take a boat to Taixi.

But it was too late to regret now. The title bestowed by the emperor also made it impossible for him to escape or rebel. Otherwise, his brothers and nephews would have suffered.

Thinking about his own plan, Hu Liangfu pondered the thoughts of the soldiers of the Great Western Camp and said to Zhang Xianzhong:
"General, if we want to go to the North Sea, we need to discuss it with the soldiers."

"Today, those who were granted titles are discussing which piece of land to choose as their fiefdom."

“They want to put down roots here, but they may not be willing to continue moving west.”

Zhang Xianzhong was so angry when he heard this that he wanted to send people to kill these people immediately.

But thinking of the noble rules Hu Liangfu had just mentioned, and the one thousand soldiers Zhang Tongchang had brought with him, he suppressed his killing intent and said:

"If they don't want to leave, let them stay. Alukhorchin also needs someone to guard it."

"We can recruit forest folks on the way to the North Sea. They are all Sauron people!"

Zhang Xianzhong had already witnessed the bravery of the Suolon soldiers when he conquered the various tribes of Alukhorchin. In close combat, he relied on these people.

The Khorchins were completely defeated by these brave warriors wearing heavy armor and not afraid of death. The other soldiers of the Great Western Camp had few opportunities to show their abilities.

Zhang Xianzhong, who did not want to rely too much on muskets, hoped to use the Saurons to train an elite force and send more of them into battle.

As for those soldiers who were unwilling to follow him westward, he decided to let them go this time, but next time, he would not give his men a chance to resist.

When he marched westward this time, he would tell his subordinates:
Only those who are willing to march westward to conquer Russia can follow him!

The mission of the Great West Camp is to head west! (End of this chapter)