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

Chapter 145 Flag Presentation
On the parade ground, the 3,000 soldiers of the Second Infantry Battalion were lined up. Soldiers stood in rows, spears and swords were in full view, flags blocked the sky, and trumpets blew in the air.

Danchu stepped onto the general's platform, and the drums of war were beating, shaking the earth and the sky, like thunder. Soon, three thousand people sang the military song together: "The clouds follow the dragon, the wind follows the tiger, fame and fortune are dust and dirt. Looking at the divine land, the people are suffering, and the fertile fields for thousands of miles are all barren..."

The singing was in unison, and the sound shook the whole field. The three armies were in awe, and their morale was high. From the small details, we can see the big picture. The second battalion had just been formed, but the ranks were neat. Three thousand people sang the military song together without any disorder in the tone, which shows that the training was successful. Kuang Shi was truly a talented general.

The military song ended, a cannon sounded, and the soldiers were shocked. Deputy Battalion Commander Chen Wu, dressed in military uniform, hurried to the front of the platform and said loudly: "Report to the commander, the second infantry battalion has finished lining up for the flag-raising ceremony. Please give your instructions!"

"Start!" Dan Chu responded in a deep voice.

"promise!"

Chen Wu turned back to the front of the battle formation and shouted, "At ease!"

Danchu was also paying close attention to Chen Wu. His military orders were very standard, his voice was loud and his breath was strong. For a military commander, a loud voice and clear military orders are basic skills. Chen Wu is also a fierce general and has the ability to take charge of a regiment. When a new regiment is added next time, it is a good idea to promote Chen Wu.

"Welcome the military flag!" Dan Chu shouted loudly without sitting down.

Three lieutenant colonels walked in unison, with the taller one in the middle holding a red flag. The two guarding the flag were one step behind him.

There is a "Dan" in Danchu's name, which means red, and Danchu means red as the beginning. Therefore, the Zhaoyong Army also favored red, and the military flags were mostly red.

"Kuang Shi!"

"exist!"

"Exit!"

"promise!"

Danchu took the flag from his personal guard. The flag pole was about ten feet long, and the flag was made of bright red cotton cloth, with five golden characters "Infantry Second Standard" embroidered in the middle with golden thread, and three small golden characters "Zhaoyong Army" embroidered in the lower left corner.

The only drawback is that the Zhaoyong Army has always lacked a resounding name and can only be referred to by Danchu's official title.

There was no other way. The Ming army was the Ming army, and they could not set up a new flag. Sometimes, if the army was very strong or had a large number of troops, the court would give it a name. For example, Li Chixin's troops were named "Zhongzheng Camp", Ma Jinzhong, Wang Jincai, Niu Wancai's troops were named "Zhongwu Camp", and Yu Dahai and Li Zhanchun's troops were named "Zhongkai Camp".

The Zhaoyong Army was established not long ago and had not yet become independent, so it had not attracted the attention of the government and the public.

Danchu held the military flag in both hands, staring at Kuang Shi in front of him, with a solemn expression, not angry but majestic, and said: "In the face of national crisis, we should dedicate ourselves to the country, train soldiers and martial arts, and prepare for war. You must know that this is not only for personal glory, but also for the safety of the country and the survival of the nation."

"promise."

"The military flag is the soul of our army. The army is there with the flag, and the army is gone with the flag. I now grant you the flag of the Second Infantry Battalion. I hope you will cherish it, never forget your original intention, train diligently, and strengthen our military prestige so that the Second Battalion can become a powerful force as soon as possible and fight the enemy."

Kuang Shi bowed his head, took the flag with both hands, and said, "Yes, I will follow the commander's instructions."

He took over the military flag as if he had taken on a heavy burden, his hands trembling slightly, and then he waved the flag, making a rustling sound.

Danchu shouted loudly: "Soldiers, you should put the country first and the people first, train diligently, improve your martial arts, and when the Tartars invade, you must fight bravely and serve the country."

Upon hearing this, the three thousand soldiers responded with a "yes" in unison, their voices shaking the sky, showing their high morale. Afterwards, the camps dispersed and organized basic formation training on the parade grounds.

Danchu was very satisfied and said to Kuang Shi: "Thanks to your talent, the morale of the Second Infantry Battalion is high and the start is very good."

Kuang Shi felt relieved and said, "It's all thanks to the Marshal's guidance. Tomorrow, our army is also planning to organize a commendation meeting. If the Marshal is free, can he come to the scene to encourage the soldiers to fight for their lives?"

The Zhaoyong Army had strict discipline and emphasized rewards and punishments. They would gather the soldiers regularly to clearly distinguish rewards and punishments and enforce strict military discipline. Kuang Shi was good at training soldiers and understood this well.

Danchu said without hesitation: "You are the chief officer of a battalion, you can preside over the rewards and punishments. I have to meet with the gentry of Zhaoping tomorrow, so I will not attend."

"promise."

After entering the city, Danchu stayed at the official residence. Zhaoping is connected to Guilin and Pingle in the north and Wuzhou in the lower part, with well-developed waterways. There are official residences in the city specifically for senior officials to rest.

County Magistrate Li Gong and Second Biao Biao Tong Kuangshi came to the palace to discuss matters. Li Gong was originally a clerk in the Yong'an Prefecture's yamen. Because he was good at financial management, he was promoted by Danchu to Zhaoping County Magistrate. The original Zhaoping County Magistrate was incompetent, so Danchu found a reason to demote him to Dianshi.

The local feudal system of the Southern Ming Dynasty became more and more serious. Military generals could control a region by guarding it, and dismissing prefects and county magistrates was a normal thing. When there was a disagreement between the civil and military officials, the military generals would kill prefects and county magistrates directly, and the court could not intervene.

"Have you checked the money and grain account?" Danchu asked, with high hopes for Zhaoping. The Zhaoyong Army was actively expanding its army, and the consumption of money and grain increased sharply. Zhaoping was richer than Yong'an, with at least twice the population, and it was of great significance to alleviate the financial difficulties of the Zhaoyong Army.

"There is no exact number yet, but according to my estimate, Zhaoping actually has about 21,000 households, a population of 110,000, 181,000 acres of farmland, and an annual income of between 540,000 and 640,000 dan."

Li Gong replied, and then added: "The population, acreage, and grain production are mainly estimated, but I have conducted in-depth investigations in the countryside, and the numbers are about 80% accurate, and the error will not be very large."

Since the end of the Ming Dynasty, Guangxi has been relatively less affected by wars, and the population decline has not been serious. Zhaoping has convenient transportation, a large population, and most of them are Han people. There is more arable land than Yong'an, and the per capita arable land area can reach 1.6 acres.

With the agricultural production technology at that time, the rice fields in the south could produce 3.5 to 3.9 dan of rice per mu per year. Although the late Ming Dynasty was a period of the Little Ice Age, the annual yield of rice per mu could reach 3.1 to 3.5 dan.

A little-known historical fact is that Guangxi is one of the 18 provinces of the Han area. Although there are Yao, Miao, Zhuang and other ethnic minorities, the majority of the population is still Han. The Zhuang ethnic group was recognized as an ethnic minority after liberation, and is still Han in nature. The pure Zhuang people are Zhuang people, and their number is very small. It is no wonder that the Zhuang ethnic group is the most populous ethnic minority in my country.

Danchu was a little disappointed. He thought Zhaoping was a big county with a lot of money, grain and population. After hearing what Li Gong said, it was still far from what he expected. If we calculate based on the median, Zhaoping can produce 600,000 shi of rice a year, and Zhaoyong Army can collect 240,000 shi from it. It seems a lot, but Zhaoyong Army's expenses are also huge, expanding the army, purchasing military equipment, paying officials' salaries, and running universities...

All in all, the total population of Yong'an Prefecture, Zhaoping County, and Wutunso was less than 200,000, but they had to support more than 10,000 Zhaoyong soldiers. In addition, there were at least 15,000 people who were not engaged in production and needed financial support, which put a lot of financial pressure on them.

Opening up new territories is urgent and imperative.

"Are the local tyrants in Zhaoping still obedient?"

Kuang Shi answered this question: "Thanks to the great reputation of the commander-in-chief, the powerful people in Zhaoping are still obedient. There is a horse-drawn fortress sixty miles east of the city. They once refused to obey the government orders. I led a thousand men to suppress them, destroyed their fortress, and confiscated their property. Since then, no one dared to refuse to obey."

Danchu had heard about this. According to the rules of the Zhaoyong Army, the lower-level troops had to pay half of the spoils of war to the upper level. The Second Infantry Battalion had captured a lot of spoils in this battle, and the Zhaoyong Army also benefited from it.

"Very good. To deal with the powerful, we must use both kindness and force. Tomorrow, I will meet with them again, explain the great principles to them, and encourage them to start businesses."

(End of this chapter)