The Holy Emperor of Ming

Chapter 172 Sons and Brothers Degraded for Generations
At this moment, there is no need to say anything about that shining dragon robe.

Under the strict military discipline of the new military system, not much noise occurred in the entire army.

But those eyes, filled with mixed emotions of passion, anxiety, anticipation, awe, etc., tell everyone nakedly.

The 12th Army was seething.

His Majesty the Emperor has really arrived!

Right in front of them!
And speak to them in a friendly and generous manner.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Wang Erniu."

"Haha, don't be nervous. You are the people of the Ming Dynasty and even more so the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. You are my sons and my brothers. Why are you so nervous?"

"Yes Yes."

"How many people are there in your family? Have you received all your salary?"

"There are six people in my family, including my father, mother, an elder sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother. We have all received our salary.

My father and mother even asked me to thank the emperor!"

"Hahaha, you're welcome, it's what you deserve.

Is the training hard? Can I eat enough? "

"The training is not hard, and we can all eat enough."

"Did your family get any land? How much tax did you pay?"

"My family was allocated five acres of land by the emperor two years ago. He said that we only need to pay one-tenth of the output as rent, and we don't have to pay anything else."

"Ah."

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"Oh, so you are actually a bandit. Not bad, not bad. You are a bandit but you can stick to your kindness and conscience. Good job."

"I, hey, hey."

"Hahaha, look at your silly smile, don't be nervous, I am just like your father and your brother, what is there to be nervous about?
Tell me, how does it feel to be a soldier of the Ming Dynasty? "

"I feel that the rules are too many and too strict. You also need to be literate. But I also think it's good. There are many good brothers and clean money. I feel at ease."

"Just be down-to-earth, work harder, and strive to become a small flag chief, a general flag chief, or even higher. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

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"Have you memorized the 24 military regulations of the Ming Dynasty?"

"I've memorized it by heart."

"Come, recite the fifth one to me."

"Yes Yes."

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"What do the instructors usually teach you?"

"Teach us to read and write, and to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic."

“Why should we be loyal to the emperor and love our country?”

"The instructor said that everything we have now was brought to us by His Majesty, so we must be loyal to the emperor.

Patriotism means that without the Ming Dynasty, there would be no small family of our own."

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"Have your superiors in the army bullied you?"

"No, no, it's just that the training is very strict."

"Strict training is for your own good, what about the instructor?"

"The instructor is far away and cares about us very much."

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"You are twenty-two now. Are you married?"

"Not yet. My father told me that I will get married when I return home."

"Okay, when you get married, don't forget to toast a glass of wine in the direction of the capital, and treat me to your wedding wine."

"Yes."

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Zhu Houzhao asked a lot of questions. Every time he walked a certain distance, he would ask a soldier a variety of questions.

Every time this happened, the hundreds or thousands of soldiers around would look away with their eyes and stand on end with their ears.

I listened with excitement, anticipation and nervousness.

That kind of quiet boiling feeling made Zhou Shanmin and others feel a deep-seated awe.

Suddenly, they began to understand what the new military system was.

The Twelve Armies that they personally established are the armies that truly belong to the Ming Dynasty and to His Majesty.

Zhu Houzhao walked patiently and energetically for nearly two hours, talking to a total of 306 lowest-level soldiers.

The result satisfied him.

Although this army is not yet elite and has not formed a military force.

But Zhou Shanmin and others are indeed leading the team with all their heart and effort, so there are no major problems.

If nothing unexpected happens, this army will definitely become an elite force in a year at most.

At that time, the 12th Army was a truly qualified army in the Ming Dynasty.

Well, there are still some vacancies in the positions of instructors and civilians in the military that need to be filled.

The lowest rank is the battalion instructor. They are the ones who have the closest contact with low-level soldiers. Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to call them instructors?

Why not call me instructor? It sounds much more friendly this way.

The issue of the soldiers' discharge must also be determined.

besides····
Zhu Houzhao returned to the palace, still thinking about some unresolved issues in the army.

At this time, he was also quite happy.

Apart from the Emperor Wu's Dragon Cavalry and the First Army which was nearby, this was also his first time to go deep into the rest of the army and come into contact with the soldiers.

It feels good.

We need to do more in the future, so that we can know more clearly which army is doing well and which army is not doing well.

It was not until Zhu Houzhao returned to the palace that Gu Xichao, Zhou Shanmin and others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This means they have passed.

The 12th Army did not disappoint His Majesty.

That night, they finally slept soundly. The emperor's unexpected closeness and attention to them made them excited and expectant, and they put their worries to rest.

Except for a very small number, most of the more than 37,000 soldiers of the 12th Army suffered from insomnia.

In the barracks of the camp, where people were supposed to turn off the engines and go to sleep, there were excited whispers everywhere.

"I can't believe it. We all met the emperor and I even talked to him."

"Hehe, you are so lucky. Unfortunately, I was right next to him and couldn't talk to the emperor."

"Haha, I saw it all. You were so nervous that you were shaking even without saying anything. If the emperor asked you, would you dare to speak?"

"Bullshit, why am I that nervous?"

"So this is the emperor. I have seen the emperor. When I get home, no one will believe it."

"Yes, so the emperor is like this, so kind and majestic. The instructor is right. The emperor is the best."

"The emperor said that we are his sons and brothers. Why?"

"Stupid, didn't the instructor say that? The emperor is the father of all the people of the Ming Dynasty, so he is naturally our father.

Brothers, we are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and we are brothers on the battlefield with the emperor."

"Hey, we are the emperor's sons and brothers. Who of those landlords and gangsters in our hometown dares to bully us in the future?"

"Yes, it's just that such a good emperor came a little late, and my parents were bullied to death."

"Me too."

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The officers and instructors at all levels who were supposed to manage the soldiers' sleep also relaxed their management that night.

It was not until the second half of the night that the barracks in the camp fell into silence.

Early the next morning.

Zhu Houzhao would attend the morning court whenever he had something to do.

When all the officials arrived, Zhu Houzhao arrived and said directly: "We are holding this morning court today because we have something to announce.

The first thing is that our Ming Military Academy is going to be established.

This military academy is specifically designed to train civilian personnel for the Ming army, and of course, it will also train mid- and low-level officers.

I will personally serve as the dean of the Military Academy, and you, Gu Xichao, will serve as the vice dean and be in charge of daily affairs."

"I obey your command." Gu Xichao bowed respectfully.

The ministers were not surprised.

The news of the military academy had spread long ago, and the military imperial examination was held for this purpose.

Preparations for the military academy, such as location and so on, have already been underway.

But it was inevitable that some people looked at Gu Xichao with envy and jealousy.

His Majesty personally serves as the president, which shows how much he values ​​the military academy. Gu Xichao serves as the vice president, which shows that he really values ​​it too much.

“The position of the deputy dean of the military academy will be temporarily set at the second rank.

In addition, Gu Xichao, from now on, you will be promoted to the Minister of Military Law." Zhu Houzhao said again.

"I obey your command." Gu Xichao was shocked and saluted calmly.

A second-rank official in his twenties!

He holds two positions at the same time, and both are of the second rank with great power!
There were more envious and jealous looks from the court officials.

Although Li Xunhuan is also a second-rank official in his twenties, he is a few years older, almost thirty.

More importantly, no matter what, Li Xunhuan is still one of his own, and he is now the most trusted civil official of His Majesty, so he can be accepted.

But this Gu Xichao is from the State of Song.

Some people wanted to speak up and object, but they didn't dare.

"The second thing is to announce the decree." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said directly.

Wei Jinzhong responded and took out an imperial edict, saying: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees: restore the titles of Viscount and Baron.

From then on, the duke was called the duke of a country or a county.

The four ranks of marquis, earl, vizier and baron are divided into two classes, the first class is the most noble, and the second class is the second most noble.

No matter what title it is, it will be downgraded from generation to generation.

The title of nobles and relatives of nobles could not be inherited by their ancestors and ended in one generation.

Among all the titles of nobility nowadays, duke is the Duke of the State, and marquis and earl are all of the first rank.

Admire this. "

Before the voice fell, the nobles all turned pale.

The hereditary title was changed into a hereditary one.

No one can accept it.

Of course, what is even more miserable are the nobles and relatives, who die in one generation.

But the nobles were in no mood to laugh at the nobles at this time.

They had anticipated this day a long time ago, but when the moment finally came, they still felt dizzy.

It's just that they know better and they have no room for objection.

The other civil officials and military generals without titles were all silent and did not say anything more.

They had all anticipated this day, it just came a little suddenly.

Wei Jinzhong took out another imperial edict and said in a loud voice: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: Although Zhou Jian, the former general of Yanmen Pass, was murdered by treacherous officials, he still has his heart set on Ming and fought against the barbarians in the north. He is truly a good man of Ming.

Zhou Jian was posthumously conferred the title of Viscount of the Second Class of Golden Knife, which shall be hereditary and will be reduced by one rank from generation to generation.

Viscount Jindao has passed away, and his son Zhou Shanmin inherited the title and became a first-class baron.

Admire this. "

As the voice fell, everyone's eyes fell on Zhou Shanmin.

Zhou Shanmin looked excited. He was excited for the title, excited for his father's reputation to be cleared, and even more excited that from now on, no one would be able to attack them for being bandits.

"I accept the order and thank you for your kindness."

Although there were many envious, jealous, and even unhappy and disdainful eyes, the title of a viscount was not worth mentioning at all compared to the demotion of all titles from generation to generation.

(Chapter two.)
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(End of this chapter)