Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 139 Village Drinking Ceremony
According to the ritual, on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the 1st day of the tenth lunar month every year, the prefect, state and county magistrates must invite the local elderly gentry to hold a village drinking ceremony in the Minglun Hall of the Confucian Academy in prefectures, states and counties across the country.

The Village Drinking Ceremony originated in the Shang Dynasty and was established in the Zhou Dynasty. It was combined with the capping ceremony, wedding ceremony, archery ceremony, banquet ceremony, feast ceremony, celebration ceremony, etc., and became an ancient auspicious ceremony. The Village Drinking Ceremony has been passed down in China for more than 3,000 years. It was not until the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty that the Qing court ordered the funds for the Village Drinking Ceremony to be used as military pay, and the ceremony was abolished.

Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, attached great importance to the village drinking ceremony and stipulated that village drinking should also be organized at the prefecture and county level. The people would form a meeting with 100 families, and the village head or grain chief would preside over the meeting. When sitting at the table, people would be divided into three levels according to their good and bad qualities, and no mixing was allowed.

During the turbulent times of the Southern Ming Dynasty, the Township Drinking Ceremony in Yong'an Prefecture had been suspended for many years. This year, Yong'an Prefecture had a good harvest, the four regions were peaceful, and the people were happy, so the Township Drinking Ceremony was held again.

On the first day of October, Danchu had returned to Yong'an Army and also participated in the village drinking ceremony.

At noon that day, the sky was high and the clouds were light, the wind was clear and the air was refreshing. The sweet fragrance of osmanthus filled the air in Yong'an City, and the market was prosperous. It was a piece of pure land in troubled times.

In the state school, the training team ended their drills early, and the team members were given a half-day off to rest in the camp. The state school had been requisitioned by the Zhaoyong Army as the camp for the training team.

A new round of military expansion is underway, and the training team is organizing a training camp for pre-appointed officers. All officers involved in promotion and officers who will be new captains and battalion commanders must participate in this training camp and can only take up their posts after passing the assessment.

Minglun Hall of Yuanzhou School has been converted into an auditorium by the teaching team and is used as a place for regular concentrated lectures.

At this moment, elderly gentry from all over Yong'an Prefecture gathered in the auditorium, invited to participate in this year's late autumn village drinking ceremony.

Ritual is a major matter.

In the traditional Xiangyin ceremony, guests are not only ranked by age, but also divided into different levels, and people of different status sit at different tables. Although some people can participate in the Xiangyin, they don't even have a seat and can only stand on the side. Generally speaking, except for county officials, guests must be over 50 years old to attend the Xiangyin.

Danchu respected tradition, but also advocated equality. A total of twelve tables of guests were arranged for the Yonganzhou Township Drink.

Each town and eight villages had one table, for a total of nine tables. At each table there was a village head, an old man, and a village gentry. Even the tenant farmers who usually could not be on the stage had representatives to attend the village banquet and were able to sit at the same table with the village head, gentry, and others. Everyone had a seat.

There were three other tables, one for the general's mansion, one for Zhaoyong Army, and one for the prefect's office.

The guests included all walks of life and all ages, including the elderly like Mo Xunshi, the energetic young people like Cen Yong, the old officials like the prefect Wei Shizhong, the experienced generals like Wei Guosong, the Yao people like He Guozuo, the heroines like Liu Shu, and the Portuguese like Ferreira...

The village drinking ceremony originally had many cumbersome formalities, which Danchu disliked. He did not follow the usual etiquette, raised his cup to invite people to drink, and gave an opening speech:

"Everyone, today we are gathered together to hold this autumn's village drinking ceremony. In this chaotic time, it is not easy to hold a village drinking ceremony, and it is even more precious to invite everyone to the state school to drink together.

"The Zhaoyong Army has been stationed in Yong'an for more than half a year. In troubled times, people drift with the wind. Fortunately, thanks to your support, the Zhaoyong Army can take root in Yong'an and have something to rely on.

"This first cup of wine is first of all a thank you, thank you for your support for the Zhaoyong Army. Thank you to the officials and gentry for their strong support, thank you to the gentry and landowners for supporting the policy of tenants paying taxes, and thank you to the people of the county for their enthusiasm in joining the army."

The wine that the villagers drank was very light, and Danchu drank the cup of wine in his hand in one gulp.

The guests drank up the wine in their hands and praised: "Thanks to the Zhaoyong Army stationed in Yong'an, Yong'an has maintained peace and become a paradise in troubled times. We should thank the Zhaoyong Army."

One tenant had a loud voice and spoke in a simple manner: "The great kindness of the commander-in-chief has given us tenants enough food, and our families no longer have to endure hunger. This kindness is higher than the sky, and we can never repay it in our lifetime." It seems to be an exaggeration to say that tenants no longer have to endure hunger. According to Danchu's understanding, after Yong'an Prefecture required tenants to pay taxes, the burden of tenants was reduced and the amount of food they retained also increased, but it was still not enough to feed and clothe them.

The tenants who could participate in this village drinking party were not ordinary tenants. Two tenants were very prestigious and became village chiefs. The other tenants were mostly military dependents. Some of their sons had died in battle, some had sent several sons to join the army, and some of their sons performed outstandingly in the army and made many military achievements, bringing honor to their fathers.

Danchu bowed to the southeast, his expression becoming solemn, and said: "The second cup of wine is for gratitude. The court has chosen me from the ranks without any restrictions, and appointed me as the general of Zhaoyong, the deputy governor, and the general of conquering the barbarians. I will fight to the death against the Qing invaders and will never shave my head and surrender.

"The people of Yong'an have devoted all their efforts to support the Zhaoyong Army. They are the breadwinners of the Zhaoyong Army. The Zhaoyong Army has been ordered to guard Yong'an. We must do our best to defend Yong'an, cherish the people, show sympathy for their strength, and never invade them."

The Zhaoyong Army had strict military discipline and did not harm anyone during their stay in Yong'an, thus winning the wholehearted support of the people of Yong'an.

Danchu's words were sincere and touching, and all the guests were moved. He continued, "The third cup of wine is for nostalgia. Although Yong'an is a paradise, the current situation is still turbulent. Tianjun's old soldiers are tired, He Dushi besieged Yongzhou but failed, and Yuguogong besieged Zhongcheng but was repeatedly defeated.

"Although Jiangxi and Guangdong have rebelled, our beautiful country is still lost, and hundreds of millions of people are still in dire straits. Although the Zhaoyong Army is located in a corner, the soldiers are better and the food is more sufficient, so we dare not forget to fight for a moment.

"Gentlemen, bear witness to me that in time, the Zhaoyong Army will become a powerful force. When that time comes, I will be appointed as the General of Conquering the Enemy Army, and lead the army to the north to attack Youyan, drive out the Tartars, and restore China."

"Good!" The guests cheered.

"If the Marshal has such an ambition, I, Zhao Yongjian, will swear to follow him until my death!"

"The Marshal is honored as the Great General of Conquering the Enemy Army, and the officials and gentry of Yong'an are also honored as Yuan Cong's meritorious officials!"

……

Amidst the waves of praise, Danchu did not lose himself. Looking around, the old state school had been renovated by the teaching team and was glowing with a different spirit. The guests in Minglun Hall were his founding ministers and his greatest reliance in the future conquests.

"Everyone, there is one more thing that I can tell you in person. I have decided to set up a college in Yong'an Prefecture and name it 'Yong'an University'. It will teach everything, including astronomy, geography, literature, classics and history, skills, arithmetic, medicine, agriculture, industry, mining, etc...."

The state has a Taixue, also known as the Imperial Academy. At the beginning of the Dan Dynasty, the new school was named a university, which was obviously an act of usurpation. Now that rituals and music have collapsed, no one cares so much.

The state school had been abandoned for a long time, which was a great pity for the people. When the university was re-established in Danchu, it was much larger than the state school, which excited the guests present.

Next, Danchu brought the general's confidants to toast each table in turn. When they came to Mo's hometown table, Danchu was filled with emotion and said:

"I am most grateful to the Mo family. Without the support of the Mo family, Zhao Yongan would not have achieved what he has today. The Mo family has not let me down, and I will not let the Mo family down. Mr. Mo, we must work hard in the future and move to a higher level."

Mo Xunshi had earned a lot of face today and was very happy. He said, "Marshal, the Mo family will always follow you."

(End of this chapter)