Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 136: Righteousness and military vigor are rising, and those who jump out of the beams will be killed no matter how strong they are! (First update)
The wind in Peking is wild.

The camp in Peking was unusually quiet at this moment.

No sound, no movement.

There was only endless silence.

Zhu Di got off his horse at some point. He was not holding a sword in his hand, only a horsewhip.

Yao Guangxiao and Yuan Gong looked at each other with serious expressions.

How could they not notice that the atmosphere in the field had changed after Xia Zhibai's repeated questioning.

Before, all the soldiers in the camp were very disdainful and contemptuous of Xia Zhibai. However, after Xia Zhibai's repeated questioning, perhaps generals such as Zhu Di and Qiu Fu still did not care, but the soldiers below had been shaken.

What Xia Zhibai cares about are very subtle.

Also very boring.

It does not involve any major military policies or military secrets.

It only concerns the soldiers and only cares about the soldiers' safety.

Xia Zhibai slowly walked to the high platform of the martial arts arena without anyone's permission, but Zhu Di did not stop him. He just watched Xia Zhibai walk up. He faced thousands of soldiers alone, with a gray shirt fluttering in the wind, giving people a sense of elegance and refinement.

Standing on the martial arts stage.

Xia Zhibai bowed slightly to Zhu Di and other generals, and then bowed slightly to the soldiers below.

He said in a deep voice: "It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders."

"You are all from military families."

“They all come from poor families.”

"Before becoming military households, most of you had no land or houses, and were oppressed by local landlords, merchants, and officials. You also witnessed the tyranny of the Mongols with your own eyes. In that situation where people were living in poverty and the country was in decline, most of you were at the point where you could not survive."

"At this time, your Majesty's army arrived."

"Or maybe your Majesty's banner of justice has arrived, and many of you are ready to move."

"I joined the army and became a soldier."

“It was also from that time that you began your military career.”

"Who were you fighting for then?"

"For His Majesty, for my own honor? Or for the realization of my own value?"

"neither."

“You were fighting for yourselves at that time.”

"In order to overthrow the dark and brutal Yuan Dynasty, in order to have food to eat, clothes to wear, land to own, and a house to live in, all of which would be rewarded to you by the imperial court as long as you fought in battles, so everyone at that time was eager to be the first, and all of you were fearless, because you had survived that inhuman life."

“Knowing how hard it is to come by all this.”

"That's why."

"Under your Majesty's command, the Ming Dynasty spent fifteen years wiping out the heroes, suppressing the chaos, pacifying the world, and achieving the feat of unification."

"In the same year when the Ming Dynasty was founded, Emperor Shundi of the Yuan Dynasty abandoned the capital and fled. The era of Mongolian rule over the Central Plains came to an end. The Ming Dynasty regained its ruling power within the Great Wall, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, which China had lost for 400 years, were also recovered."

“But it’s from this time on.”

"Many people have become somewhat tired of and resistant to the war."

"The new dynasty has been established, and the old Chinese land has been returned. The Ming Dynasty can completely rely on the Great Wall to defend the world and protect the area within the Great Wall from Mongolian invasion. Why do you insist on the Northern Expedition? Many people don't know the significance of the Northern Expedition, don't know why the Northern Expedition is for, and don't know what benefits the Northern Expedition will bring to you."

"Many people didn't say these words, and they didn't dare to say them, but they really thought this way in their hearts."

"Under such circumstances, the morale of the troops will drop."

"The combat effectiveness will naturally decline."

"Is there anything wrong with this idea of ​​avoiding war?"

"I can answer you with certainty." Xia Zhibai said in a deep voice: "No."

"Because fighting is not beneficial to you, the only thing you can do is to sacrifice your own flesh and blood to enhance the reputation of the generals in the army and get some icing on the cake rewards. However, these rewards are not worth it to most of you."

The camp became even quieter.

Many soldiers lowered their heads, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Only Zhu Di clenched his fists, looking at Xia Zhibai with eyes full of murderous intent.

Xia Zhibai is shaking the morale of the army.

Xia Zhibai stood tall and continued, "You are military households. The court exempts military households from certain taxes and labor service so that you can train while producing. When the court needs you, you can directly take up weapons and fight the enemy."

"But how many of you consider yourself a soldier? And how many of you consider yourself just a farmer?"

"I'm afraid there are fewer soldiers and more farmers."

Xia Zhibai calmly glanced at the soldiers below, but not many people dared to look up at him. They all lowered their heads, staring at the ground, looking a little helpless. No one dared to question it, and it seemed that they tacitly agreed with this statement.

Xia Zhibai smiled and said, "You really can't be called soldiers."

"At least it's unprofessional."

"What you are thinking about now is not fighting in the battlefield, sacrificing your life, or shedding your blood, but having a warm bed with your wife and children, thinking about the farming season, and thinking about the autumn harvest. There is actually nothing wrong with this, because you joined the army to get these things. Now that you have obtained these things, the rest is no longer that important to you."

“It’s even dispensable.”

"It's just that the court doesn't seem to think so."

"The court believes that you are soldiers first and farmers second." "To some extent, there is a certain opposition and conflict between you and the court, even contradiction."

"You don't want to fight, and even if you do, you just want to defend your territory."

"I don't want to go north."

"Because you think you are a farmer. You farm in peacetime and serve as a soldier in wartime. You shouldn't put the cart before the horse."

"The Prince of Yan has his own ambitions and aspirations. As his guards, you naturally have to participate in these rehearsals. But for you, it's just acting with the prince. As long as you work hard and make the prince happy, everything will be fine."

Zhu Di's face turned pale.

He couldn't accept this sentence.

"But your idea is wrong." Xia Zhibai said suddenly.

"In fact, many people in the court today share the same idea as you do. They think that the Ming Dynasty has already occupied the Chinese homeland and is within the Great Wall. They can completely rely on the Great Wall to resist foreign enemies, reduce military attacks, and even reduce wars, so that the world can have more time and energy to cultivate itself."

"This kind of thought is common among scholars."

"But is it really so?"

Xia Zhibai smiled, but his smile was a little cold.

He said coldly: "This idea is naturally wrong."

"And it's dead wrong."

"If we talk about who in the world today least wants war, it must be His Majesty."

"But it is precisely because you do not want wars to happen again that your Majesty has to start wars again and again. These two sentences may sound contradictory to you, but they are not. It's just a matter of perspective."

"The Mongols did flee north."

"But a centipede is still alive even after death."

"The Mongols' desire to spy on the Central Plains has not died. There are still many landlords and powerful people in the world who secretly hope that the Mongols will make a comeback and rule the world again. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan Dynasty are destined to continue fighting, and it will not stop in the short term."

"It is indeed a beautiful thing to defend in a dangerous place."

“But I can’t do it.”

“You do have your own land and house now, but where do these land and houses come from?”

"From the former landlords, powerful people, scholars, officials, merchants, etc."

"Will these people be willing to let you rob them? Won't they think about taking these things back?"

“Of course they are unwilling to accept this.”

"Many scholars in the north miss the Mongols and are even secretly helping them. They want to use the Mongols to take back everything you took away. So can we defend the city by just relying on the city? No."

"Because you don't know whether those people are friends or enemies."

"Also, the Mongols fled north, but they did not completely perish."

"When the Mongols have healed their wounds and head south again, they will capture the city with the help of their accomplices. The north will then become a purgatory. They will rape your wives and daughters, occupy your fields, and destroy your houses. Do you want to see this happen?"

"I don't want to!" The soldiers below burst into a deafening roar.

The words were filled with madness and murderous intent.

And there is overwhelming anger.

"Damn Tartar, he dared to steal my land, I will fight him to death."

"Kill these damn Tartars."

"."

Xia Zhibai's clothes fluttered in the wind, and he said, "You don't want to, and the court doesn't want to either. The court has worked hard for more than ten years and finally restored some vitality to the north. How can we tolerate the Mongols entering and trampling on us? How can we watch the Mongols destroy the north? That's why the court is so determined to march north."

"Rather than letting the war break out within the country, it is better to fight outside. At least it is the Mongols who will be destroyed."

"You think you are fighting for the court."

"You don't know that the imperial court is also fighting for you. The imperial court can defend the Great Wall and then drive the Mongols out after they move south. The imperial court won't suffer too much because the south won't be affected too much, but you northerners will lose your families."

"Your preparations for war now are not just for the court."

"It's for yourselves."

"It's also for your future generations."

"If you don't fight, they will fight in the future."

"The Mongols will never give up their desire for the Central Plains. Once they become strong, they will definitely move south again. Therefore, the imperial court's northern expedition is to completely destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty and completely defeat the Mongols, so that the Mongols will no longer dare to covet the land."

"Strive for decades of peace in the North!"

"Do you know now who and what you are fighting for?"

“You are defending your country.”

"So that our descendants will no longer be disturbed by wars."

"It is also to protect the fields and houses that I have worked hard to get."

"The righteous and the martial are vigorous, those who jump the beam will be killed no matter how strong they are, and will be punished no matter how far away they are!"

"The Ming Dynasty will be victorious!!!"

(End of this chapter)