The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 610 Guangde Military Parade
August 18th, the first year of Guangde in the Great Qi Dynasty.

At Nanjing's Xuanwu Gate, the sky was covered with flags and swords and spears were everywhere. Two black hot air balloons rose into the sky early, and lookouts stood in the hanging baskets, overlooking the entire city.

The weather was clear, with light clouds and breeze. Accompanied by the roar of eighteen artillery pieces, the Qi army parade ceremony officially began.

The eighteen-gun salute symbolizes the eighteen years of arduous journey since the birth of the empire, overcoming all obstacles and riding the wind and waves.

At the beginning of the afternoon, the retired emperor, accompanied by Emperor Guangde, Empress Dowager Cisi Jin Yuji, and Empress Dowager Dong Yang Qing'er, ascended the Xuanwu Gate Tower, surrounded by civil and military officials.

Emperor Guangde and the retired emperor sat side by side, with the two empress dowagers surrounding them on their left and right. Concubine Chen (Chen Yuanyuan), Concubine Liu (Liu Rushi), Concubine Xi (Daphne), and Concubine Ying (Tokugawa Senhime) sat behind Concubine Jin Yuji and Yang Qing'er. The chief eunuch Dongfang Zhu, the high priest Francisco, the commander of the imperial guards Pei Dahu, the deputy commanders Lin Yu and Wu Xiao, the commander of the straw raincoat guards Zhang Dong and Liu Xingzuo, the guards Li Zicheng and Wei Zhao, the commander of the pacification troops Jiang Liuer and others served as guards on their left and right.

Then came the eight cabinet ministers Qiao Yiqi, Lu Xiangsheng, Wang Huazhen, Qian Qianyi, Wang Yingxiong, Du Yinxi, Chen Zizhuang, and Jiang Dejing.

And the commanders of the ten corps:

Deng Changxiong of the Second Corps, Qi Jin of the Third Corps, Qin Jianxun of the Fourth Corps, Pu Gang of the Fifth Corps, Wu Aheng of the Sixth Corps, Wang Zengbin, chief officer of the Seventh Corps, Zhao Luejiao of the Eighth Corps, Zheng Yishi of the Tenth Corps, Wang Congzhi and Han Zhenyi of the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps.

The civil officials Xie Yang, Lei Yiming, Huang Delun, as well as 82 governors (governor-general and kings) from 37 provinces (feudal states) from Sakhalin Island in the north to the Ryukyu Islands in the south were all granted seats on the city wall.

The grand military parade in Nanjing in the first year of Guangde was the first large-scale military parade after the Great Qi unified the country.

The reason why the retired emperor asked Liu Kan to attend the military parade was to enhance the young emperor's prestige in the army.

Liu Kan is sixteen years old this year. Although he has officially taken power and handled government affairs independently a year ago, the real power of the empire has always been in the hands of the emperor. Liu Zhaosun can live to three hundred years old or even longer, but Liu Kan is not immortal.

While his authority is still at its peak, he should start planning the transition of power early, which may help avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

The sixteen-year-old Emperor Guangde Liu Kan sat quietly beside his father.

Liu Kan's aura is in no way weaker than that of his burly and majestic father, who is half human and half god.

The young emperor was full of heroic spirit, as majestic as a pine tree under a rock.

He inherited the beauty of his mother, Queen Zhang Yan, and his physique was similar to that of his father before the Wanggongchang explosion. Of course, he was more burly and strong than Liu Zhaosun at that time.

Emperor Guangde's character is extremely complex. He not only has his father's calmness, courage, kindness and love for the people, but also his mother Zhang Yan's wit, flexibility and unconventionality. At the same time, he is also influenced by Empress Dowager Cisi, Jin Yuji and Empress Dowager Dong Yang Qing'er - after all, it was these two empresses dowagers who raised him - and he has the sophistication and scheming beyond his peers.

"Liu Kan, when the corps pass by the avenue in front of Xuanwu Gate later, you can stand up and greet the soldiers first, and you will also read out the rewards for the meritorious soldiers." Liu Zhaosun earnestly instructed.

"Father," Liu Kan said in a low voice, "There are still some remnants of the White Lotus in Cao County, and a group of Zheng Sen's remnants numbering about a thousand, roaming in Liaoxi. I think..."

The Emperor Taizong interrupted Emperor Guangde and said earnestly:
"Kan'er, you must remember that the enemy will never be completely slain. Perhaps their lifespan will even outlive the Great Qi. Don't be afraid of this. It's better to use the remaining courage to pursue the enemy. However, the soldiers have fought for so many years, and the cabinet has changed several times. Almost all the previous people are dead. Those who are still alive need to make a summary and give an explanation. This is more important than hunting down thousands of remnants."

Liu Kan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Father, I understand. Human hearts are the foundation."

Liu Zhaosun was quite pleased, and slowly looked at the hot air balloon rising in the distance:

"That's good to know. I didn't call you from Shenyang to watch a show. You've grown up. During this period of time, you should learn more in the south. The army is the most important weapon of the country and must be firmly grasped in your hands. These troops will be your capital for conquering the world and protecting your family in the future. These civil officials represent the world and the people's hearts, and they cannot be ignored either. These two knives, one soft and one hard, are indispensable. You must hold them firmly in your hands from now on. Only in this way can you control your own destiny."

"My son, please remember your father's teachings."

~~~
At the beginning of the afternoon, the retired emperor, Emperor Guangde, the cabinet and others watched the military review on the Xuanwu Gate Tower.

Deng Changxiong, commander of the Second Corps of Da Qi, served as the commander-in-chief and inspected the various troops on horseback.

The troops on parade were from the Imperial 11th Regiment (actually there were ten left). Due to the suddenness of the event, many of them had insufficient parade training.

The Great Qi Corps' army, navy, and air force underwent a joint review for the first time. The army took the lead, with 20,000 soldiers drawn from the 11th Corps forming multiple formations (echelons). These formations included 12 firearms formations, five spear formations, five sword and shield formations, eight artillery formations, four cavalry formations, and four auxiliary engineering formations. They marched in sequence past the Xuanwu Gate moat. The Qi army's latest field artillery, medium- and long-range rockets, and the latest tanks and shield vehicles also made their debut at the ceremony.

Next to appear were two naval columns. Unlike the black uniforms of the Air Force, the navy wore blue uniforms.

In addition to the naval formation, the main battleships and landing ships (reduced at a ratio of 1:50) were also reviewed. When all the ship models passed through the Xuanwu Gate moat, the onlookers were suddenly excited. Most of them had never seen such warships, and the strong shock they received was self-evident.

Of course, what is most shocking is the Empire’s Air Force.

First, the air force formation walked across Xuanwu Gate Avenue, accompanied by Emperor Guangde Liu Kan who stood up, faced the three armies and shouted, "The Qi army is mighty!"
Outside Xuanwu Gate, 30,000 Qi soldiers shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live Emperor Guangde! Long live the Great Qi!"

The people around were infected by the momentum and started cheering and shouting.

After eighteen years, Liu Zhaosun led this army to overcome all obstacles, wipe out one fierce enemy after another, win every battle against foreign enemies, and carry out reforms at home. Although there were setbacks and failures, the ship of the empire set sail again, soaring and moving forward.

The shouts of "Long live" reached the sky and even the lookouts on the airship could hear them.

After an unknown amount of time, the frenzied emotions of the crowd gradually subsided.

Liu Kan looked at the Emperor with excitement and asked, "Father, when will the Kunpeng you mentioned come out?"

Liu Zhaosun smiled without saying anything and looked up at the western sky.

At this time, the humming sound of a steam engine could be heard faintly overhead.

Then, twelve new airships flew in from the western sky, blocking out the sun.

When these huge creatures, like the black bird Kunpeng, slowly flew over the sky above Xuanwu Gate, the entire city wall and moat were shrouded in their shadows, and the sky over Nanjing darkened as if there had suddenly been a solar eclipse.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians all held their breath, opened their mouths wide, and stared blankly at the huge monster that suddenly broke in. If the chief officers of each battalion had not shouted loudly that this was their own airship, many people would have been scared and fled on the spot.

Kunpeng swam slowly over the head and towards the horizon. The sun reappeared and the ancient city of Jinling instantly boiled over.

The shouts of "Long live the country" rose one after another, like the tide, continuous and endless.

Liu Zhaosun called Lei Zhenhua, the chief airship designer and nephew of the workshop manager Lei Yiming, and praised him:
"You guys did a great job. You kept it a secret until now. Even I didn't know that airships could be so big. The Kunpeng described by Zhuangzi soaring up to 90,000 miles is probably just like this."

Lei Zhenhua was a typical tech geek. After hearing what the emperor said, he quickly corrected him, "Your Majesty, although this boat is called Kunpeng, it can only fly two thousand feet high. It's still a long way from the ninety thousand miles..."

Liu Zhaosun laughed loudly.

The Kunpeng airship can be manually controlled and is powered by steam, but its flying speed is very slow, slightly faster than a war horse. Fortunately, it has the ability to carry precision bombing. The number of passengers has been increased from two to eight, with special bombardiers and boilermen. It can carry about 5,000 kilograms of grenades or gunpowder at a time, and has a range of 150 miles.

Due to the insufficient number of airships, the three airships in the first echelon circled around the third echelon to form the fourth echelon. Of course, this was the only military parade of the State of Qi thereafter.

A total of 123 artillery pieces of various types, 50 chariots and shield carts, 3,500 war horses, and 12 steam airships were reviewed in this parade.

This army that Liu Zhaosun was proud of was not only invincible in East Asia, but could also sweep away thousands of enemies even in contemporary Europe.

·····
The Nanjing citizens who were watching the military parade cried out in surprise and finally their voices became hoarse. Although there were soldiers from the Jinyiwei and Bingmasi to maintain order around, they could not stop the enthusiasm of the people.

The military parade ended at dusk, the curfew in Nanjing was lifted that day, and the people celebrated all night until dawn.

(End of this chapter)