The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 76 Recruiting troops
In the Zuoanmen Wengcheng military camp, Jin Yuji was in tears as she bandaged Liu Zhaosun's wound with a gauze scarf boiled in boiling water.

Liu Zhaosun wiped away the beauty's tears and comforted her:
"Don't be afraid. I was just playing hide-and-seek in the Qianqing Palace. I was so excited that I accidentally hit my head."

In a sense, Liu Zhaosun is now playing a game of hide and seek.

The time traveler is the mouse, and historical destiny is the cat.

Once caught, they would be killed without a burial place.

After comforting Jin Yuji, he returned to the tent to rest, picked up Zhang Zai's "Hengqu Yi Shuo", and began to read it in the dim candlelight.

"Xiang says: Heaven moves with vigor, and the gentleman strives to strengthen himself ceaselessly. The hidden dragon is unused, for the yang is below."

During the late Ming Dynasty, there was a diversity of thoughts, including Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Legalism and Catholicism. Except for cults like Bai Lian Wen Xiang, the court adopted a tolerant attitude towards most doctrines and did not directly ban them all like the Qing Dynasty did.

Just after reading a few sentences, the guard Zhang Chao shouted outside, "Lord Kang is here."

"Please invite Military Supervisor Kang in."

Supervisor Kang walked into the tent with great pride. He looked up and saw the white cloth on Liu Zhaosun's head and said in surprise:

"What happened? Were you beaten when you entered the palace?"

Liu Zhaosun laughed, waved away the guards, and told Kang Yingqian about entering the palace.

Kang Yingqian was dumbfounded, and when he heard the bargaining between Liu Zhaosun and Wanli, he couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

"General Liu's method of taking advantage of the situation is truly brilliant. I am no match for him. I admire him greatly. As the ancients said, when the emperor is angry, a million people are killed. And with this rage, you have earned 300,000 taels of silver and even reclaimed the 50,000 taels of military rations we owe you."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hands quickly.

"I have never been angry. What I said before the Emperor today came from my heart. There is not a single lie in my words."

Kang Yinggan looked at Liu Zhaosun with disdain, fearing that he was going to talk about something else, and quickly changed the subject.

"With these 350,000 silver coins, we can buy grain in Tianjin and hire Fujian ships to transport it back to Liaodong. Then, we can recruit soldiers and horses."

The grain business in Guangning, Fuzhou, was monopolized by the Zu family. If they suddenly went to Liaozhen to buy grain, they would definitely raise the price.

Now that we have fallen out with Liaozhen, it is better not to do such stupid things as aiding the enemy.

In the Little Ice Age climate, food is the most valuable. Kaiyuan is short of food, and with food, everything will be possible in the future.

"How much food does General Liu plan to buy?"

"Twenty thousand shi, and recruit another thousand boatmen to go back."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand and said that when a man has money, he will have the confidence to speak.

It is the off-season for water transport now, and the trackers are sitting by the canal with nothing to do, so it is not difficult to recruit people.

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard and nodded:
"When General Qi was recruiting soldiers, he preferred Yiwu miners. There aren't that many miners in the north right now, but these canal trackers are hardworking and work together, just as good as the miners!"

"General Kang is absolutely right."

Liu Zhaosun thought that the trackers who could not endure hardship would have starved to death long ago.

Kang Yingqian suddenly remembered something and asked:

"Who's that new southern barbarian?"

Liu Zhaosun then told him the story of Yuan Chonghuan.

Kang Yingqian sipped his tea and said with a sinister smile:
"This top-ranked Jinshi was incredibly lucky to have met you, General Liu. He immediately secured a fifth-rank military governorship, commanding a region's troops. While it's just an empty title, it's at least worth ten years of training. Otherwise, with his top-ranked qualifications, it would have been difficult for him to even become a county magistrate in Fujian or Guangdong."

Liu Zhaosun gave a thumbs up and praised Kang Jianjun for his extraordinary vision. Originally in history, Yuan Chonghuan really went to Fujian to serve as a county magistrate.

"Does General Liu know Yuan Chonghuan?"

"I don't know him, I just think he's reliable."

Now, Wanli has left Yuandudu to me. Is this a blessing or a curse for me?

"This man is no ordinary person. Lord Kang is the Inspector of Kaiyuan, his immediate superior. We must get along well with him in the future."

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard and said with a smile:
"Hahaha, it's rare to hear General Liu praise someone. This shows that Yuan Chonghuan must have some extraordinary qualities. I will pay attention to him."

Liu Zhaosun nodded slightly and said:

"Now, we have the money and the land, but we are short of people. General Kang, do you have any old friends in the capital? Please persuade them to go to Liaodong and help me. The emperor has given me the power to recruit officials, and I can choose any new Jinshi."

Kang Yingqian put down his teacup, looking embarrassed.

During the Ming Dynasty, scholars all regarded Liaodong as a barbaric place. In the eyes of scholars, Liaodong was a place even more barbaric than Yunnan and Guizhou.

Many officials even shouted: "The Liao people are all thieves."

Not to mention that there is still the threat of the Jiannu. After ten years of hard study, he finally became an official, but when he ran to Liaodong, his whole family became bondservants.

No matter how you look at it, this is a losing business.

Liu Zhaosun had heard these rumors. It was conceivable how difficult it would be to build a new military and political system with just that small team.

"I will do my best, but I can't guarantee it. Right now, the Jiannu are raising an army. Not to mention the Jinshi, even the Juren are unwilling to go to Liaodong."

Liu Zhaosun suddenly remembered that someone in his previous life had told him that the palace examination in the 47th year of the Wanli reign had produced many talented people, so he asked again:

"When my adoptive father was alive, he hoped that I could become a minister. I wonder who will be among the outstanding scholars this year?"

Kang Yingqian chuckled and did not comment on Liu Jing's expectations for his adopted son.

In the 35th year of the Wanli reign, Kang Yingqian served as an examiner and paid close attention to the imperial examinations. This year was no exception. Reminiscing for a moment, he said:
"This year, there are three people in the first place. The top scorer is Zhuang Jichang, from Jinjiang. The second place scorer seems to be Kong Zhenyun, but I can't remember his hometown. The third place scorer is Chen Zizhuang, from Guangzhou. The second place scorers are Ma Shiying and Jiang Yueguang..."

When Liu Zhaosun heard the name Chen Zizhuang, he was slightly moved.

Historically, Chen Zizhuang served as Minister of Rites, later becoming Grand Secretary of the Dongge, holding the Imperial Sword, and Governor-General of Military Affairs of Four Provinces. In the second year of the Shunzhi reign, the Ming army's counterattack on Guangzhou was unsuccessful. Chen led his troops to defend Gaoming County, but was overrun by the Qing army's red-coated cannons. Defeated and captured, Tong Yangjia decided to make an example of him and had him "cut into pieces on the training ground."

"Can Supervisor Kang recruit these people to go to Liaodong?"

The tea in Kang Yinggan's mouth spurted out, and he immediately shook his hand to interrupt, looking at Liu Zhaosun as if he were a monster.

"Hahaha! General Liu, are you kidding? He's a top-ranked Jinshi, the top three and second-place finishers in the imperial examination, a god-like figure. And you want him to go to Liaodong? To starve to death with you? That's a good idea you have in mind."

Liu Zhaosun muttered to himself, if that’s the case, then why did you go?
He didn't know much about the official ecology of the Ming Dynasty, so he no longer had any ideas about Chen Zizhuang.

"What about the second and third class? Who are they? Except for Yuan Chonghuan."

~~~~
The next day, Eunuch Lu took Wei Zhongxian and others in a carriage and transported the silver to the Zuoanmen閣城.

After the inventory was completed, the total amount was 350,000 taels. Liu Zhaosun gave 2,000 taels each to Lu Shou and Wei Zhongxian.

Lu Shou declined for a while and finally accepted all of it, while Wei Zhongxian only accepted 500 taels.

Kang Yingqian also gave Fang Congzhe and the Minister of War Huang Jiashan three thousand taels each. After some hesitation, the two gentlemen finally accepted it.

Fang Congzhe encouraged General Liu to go all out in Kaiyuan, not to worry about rumors, and even more so, to ignore those biting censors.

Other officials from the Six Ministries and the Pacification Office were also involved.

The 350,000 taels of silver he earned at the cost of blood and sweat were already 30,000 taels short before he even left the capital.

After the relationship became closer, Liu Zhaosun used his connections in the East Factory to ask the Pacification Office for help in finding the person he wanted to get to know.

Lu Shou took the note, read it, and shook his head.

The Jinyiwei of the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices only monitor the officials in the capital and do not interfere with ordinary people.

"Xu Xiake, Ma Shiying, Sun Chuanting, Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Xu Guangqi, Song Yingsheng, Shao Jiechun, Wu Aheng, Song Yingxing..."

Wei Zhongxian took the note and read it carefully:
"Sun Chuanting is still in the capital, living in the Shaanxi Guild Hall. Xu Xiake was a remarkable man; he sold half his fortune and traveled extensively, having just arrived in Tianjin. We've heard of Song Yingxing, a failed juren. Last year, banditry broke out in Poyang Lake, cutting off the road from the capital to Jiangxi. He and his brother, Song Yingsheng, became destitute and lived in the City God Temple some time ago. I'm sure we can find him."

Liu Zhaosun asked the two to find these people as soon as possible. After the two agreed, they hurriedly said goodbye.

Seeing that General Liu was so concerned, Kang Yingqian was quite curious about these people.

There are so many high-ranking officials in the capital, but he chose to go after these unknown people instead. Moreover, he even used the East Factory to recruit people. If the emperor investigates, there will be another war of words.

I wonder if General Liu’s head was damaged by the marble on the floor of the Qianqing Palace.

“If a person’s ambition is not far-reaching and his mind is not focused, he will not succeed in his studies.”

Liu Zhaosun recited a famous saying of Mr. Hengqu, left Kang Yingqian with a confused look on his face, and walked away.

The next morning, Liu Zhaosun had just gotten up and Jin Yuji was still helping him put on his armor when Shen Lian, a small flag officer of the Northern Pacification Office, hurried to the city wall and said that he had found Song Yingxing and Sun Chuanting.

Liu Zhaosun was overjoyed and immediately took people there.

In the Nancheng City God Temple, a thin scholar is burning incense.

Shen Lian pointed at the man and said to Liu Zhaosun, this is Song Yingxing, a juren from Jiangxi who has failed the imperial examination three times.

Song Yingxing looked at the statue of the founding general Xu Da enshrined in the center of the City God Temple. The smoke from the incense rose in front of his eyes, making them a little red.

At this time, a ragged old man limped up to Song Yingxing and held out a broken bowl. Song Yingxing sighed deeply, fumbled around for a long time, and finally found a copper coin. After hesitating for a moment, he put it into the bowl.

He looked at the old man and said in a friendly tone:
"Old man, the eunuchs are causing chaos outside the city. Buy some food and go home."

After saying that, he turned around and left the City God Temple.

As I stepped over the threshold, I heard the old man's ethereal voice behind me:

"Young Master has a kind heart. The current setbacks are but passing clouds, a deception. A golden fish cannot stay in a pond. Once it encounters wind and clouds, it will transform into a dragon. Young Master's future is limitless..."

Song Yingxing was speechless after hearing this, his eyes were a little red, and the morning breeze gently brushed across his slightly graying temples. His face, which was less than thirty years old, was full of vicissitudes of life, and his face looked even grayer in the morning light.

From a distance, Song Yingxing looked like a little ghost walking down from the mural of the City God Temple, lonely and standing alone in the wind.

He raised one hand and counted on his fingers.

Starting from the 38th year of Wanli, one, two, and this year is the third time, not a single examiner understood his article.

Even if the Hanlin scholars cannot recognize talent, can't even the emperor understand the strategies in his mind?

His proposal for the Liaodong pacification plan advocated reopening sea transport, allowing grain to be shipped from Wusong in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the Liaohai Sea, eliminating the need for the Grand Canal. The proposal also listed twelve advantages of sea transport over grain transport, including fewer layers of official corruption, no need to worry about canal blockages, and greater speed.

However, no one could recognize the gem.

This was the third time that he and his brother went to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Each time meant three years of study, nine years of hard work, and he failed three times.

The Song family was a poor family. In order to raise money for the two successful candidates, they sold ten acres of upper farmland. They were already penniless, and the remaining eighty acres were all lower farmland, which no one would buy even if they wanted to sell it.

Song Yingxing stood in the dim light of morning, looking at the believers walking in the City God Temple, and couldn't help but think of the Song family's "Family Rules".

"If there are children in the family who are of extraordinary talent and intelligence but are unable to learn from a teacher, they should be taken in and taught, or sent to a private school, or their tuition fees should be subsidized, so that one or two good people can be cultivated to serve as role models for the future..."

He was known as a man of extraordinary bearing since childhood, so he was trained by his family and given high hopes.

Over the years, relatives in the clan have spared no expense to support him and his brother to attend private schools, read books of sages, and participate in imperial examinations.

He closed his eyes and thought about how he would face his family again when he returned to his hometown in Fengxin, Jiangxi.

But now he no longer has to worry about these things.

Because he and his brother had no more money to go back.

Living in the capital is not easy.

Because the road to Poyang Lake was blocked by pirates, the two brothers lived in the capital for a month and almost spent all the more than ten taels of silver.

After several days of thinking and hesitating, he finally made up his mind to sell his calligraphy and write articles to earn some money to fill his stomach.

So, I went to Chenghuang Temple to see if there was any business in writing and composing articles.

Walking through the gate of the City God Temple, an armored general came towards us, followed by several fierce servants.

Song Yingxing knew that the warriors from the north were brutal and arrogant, so he quickly moved aside and passed by the general.

"Sir, are you Song Changgeng, a scholar from Jiangxi?"

Song Yingxing looked at the general in surprise, wondering why this person knew his courtesy name.

He had never met this general before, but seeing the inscribed armor on his body, he knew he was no ordinary general. After a moment's hesitation, he bowed and said,

"It is I, General. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Liu Zhaosun, the general of Kaiyuan."

Song Yingxing looked at the imposing general in front of him, and was surprised to see that he had a white cloth wrapped around his head. After a while, he recognized that it was the general from Kaiyuan who had surrendered the prisoners at the Meridian Gate the day before.

"What can I do for you, General Liu?"

"I heard that you could compose poetry at the age of three, had a photographic memory, and were as knowledgeable and intelligent as Zhang Taiyue. Later, you read widely, thoroughly versed in classics, history, and philosophy, and also studied firearms and land reclamation, all profound and practical knowledge. However, you failed the imperial examinations three times and were not appreciated by the officials... I wonder if you would be willing to serve in Liaodong and share the emperor's worries!"

Liu Zhaosun knew that people like Song Yingxing were not to be underestimated. They put too much energy into unorthodox pursuits unrelated to the imperial examinations and had no time to study the eight-legged essay, which led to their repeated failures in the imperial examinations and often led to a tragic fate.

Song Yingxing was a more powerful figure than Mao Yuanyi. His research fields were very broad, ranging from philosophy to architecture, from firearms to agricultural tools, from medicine to military affairs.

More importantly, Song Yingxing believed in Zhang Zai's theory of investigating things to gain knowledge, advocated practice first, and was a pragmatist.

Hard work will build the country, and what Liu Zhaosun needs most now is such people.

Song Yingxing was at a loss, staring blankly at the young general in front of him who was famous all over the world.

His tone didn't sound like he was joking.

The poor scholar hesitated for a long time before finally saying:

"I am only a Juren, not even a Jinshi in the third class. I cannot enter the imperial court. How can I..."

Seeing that Song Yingxing was still hesitating, Liu Zhaosun stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile:
"Mr. Song is a man of profound talent and learning. I've heard my staff member Mao Shimin often mention you, saying you possess incredible talent and that I shouldn't miss out on this opportunity!"

"Liaodong is in crisis right now. The court has promised me to act at my own discretion. All those below the rank of Jinshi can be directly hired without the need for imperial recommendation. Once we arrive in Kaiyuan, the appointment documents from the Ministry of Personnel will be completed."

"There are vacancies in the Kaiyuan General's Office, the Military Preparations Department, the Sanwan Guard Office, the Liaohai Guard Office, the Censorate, Anle Prefecture, and the Kaiyuan Defense Command. As long as you come, you can be appointed immediately. I, Liu, long for talented people. As Cao Mengde said: 'Your youthful collar, my heart is always with you. But for your sake, I have been pondering until now!'"

Song Yingxing stared blankly at the excited general and listened to his absurd ramblings, but he was vaguely moved!

Whether it is the top scholar or the Jinshi, whether it is noble or dull, the thoughts of scholars are the same.

Read the books of sages and make them available to the royal family.

Liu Zhaosun was not an emperor, but he had the ability to recruit talents, and the court granted him the power to temporarily recruit officials below the sixth rank.

Liu Zhaosun's reputation had already spread throughout the capital, and Song Yingxing, who was always concerned about Liao affairs, could not have failed to hear about it. He was no fool and knew that if he went to Liaodong and defeated the Jiannu at this time, he would achieve great success and leave his name in history.

Song Yingxing hesitated for a long time, and finally said:

"General Liu, how is Mao Shimin?"

Mao Yuanyi (Zi Shimin) was one of Song Yingxing's few friends. The two had similar interests and were both very interested in natural sciences. They were outliers under the imperial examination system, and outliers usually liked to stick together, so the two always had endless topics to talk about.

Unfortunately, Mao Yuanyi followed Yang Hao to Shenyang and was never heard from again. Song Yingxing suspected that he had died for his country at Sarhu and would regularly inquire about the situation among merchants from Liaodong who were traveling to the capital.

Unexpectedly, my good friend was under Liu Zhaosun's command.

"He's doing very well. He's busy every day making red-coated cannons, eating, sleeping, and working with the craftsmen day and night, like a madman. Once the red-coated cannons are completed, they will be able to devastate dozens of miles with a single blast. I will use this magical weapon to defend Kaiyuan and kill the enemy for my country. Mr. Song, don't you want to go to Kaiyuan to help this friend?"

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he did not explain to Song Yingxing what the Red Cannon was, and said in high spirits:
"If you can go to Liaodong, save the people, and protect the country and the people, it will be in line with what Mr. Hengqu advocated: to establish a mind for heaven and earth, and to establish a destiny for the people. This is the great way."

~~~
In the next few days, Liu Zhaosun went to the guild hall every day and used his connections to win over the Jinshi and Juren.

Everyone admired General Liu's achievements in Liaodong, but when they heard that he was going to Liaodong to serve as an official, they all refused.

Liu Zhaosun talked his mouth off, taking the emperor's order as his own, using large sums of money to pave the way, and supplemented it with his so-called great principles. Finally, he managed to trick several Jinshi scholars into joining him.

Ma Shiying, Sun Chuanting, Wu Aheng, Shao Jiechun.

All four of them were third-class Jinshi, which was of course much worse than Chen Zizhuang's first-place score, but it was commendable that they were willing to go to Kaiyuan.

Liu Zhaosun was overjoyed.

The four people were unknown at the time, but decades later, they became key figures who influenced the course of history.

There is no need to mention Sun Chuanting.

Let's start with Ma Shiying. After the Qing army entered the Pass, Duoduo retreated south, leaving his capital in Nanjing and surrendering without a fight. Countless southern officials surrendered, their efficiency in joining the Tartars rivaling that of the Liaozhen army. Qian Qianyi, Ruan Dacheng, and Sun Zhixie welcomed the Qing army. Surrender became the norm among civil servants at the time. However, Ma Shiying did not surrender.

Despite repeated defeats, Ma Shiying fought again and again, supporting Zhu Changxun, Prince of Lu, and Zhu Yihai, the regent of Lu, in his fight against the Qing. When Bolo crossed the river and defeated Zhu Yihai, advancing into eastern Zhejiang, Ma Shiying fled into the mountains and became a monk. He was eventually discovered by Qing troops and died unyielding.

As for Wu Aheng, he was the governor of Ji and Liao in history. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the Qing army entered the Great Wall. Wu Aheng fought hard and was finally captured.

Faced with the Qing army's persuasion to surrender, Wu Aheng angrily said: "I was a general of the Ming Dynasty in life and a heroic spirit in heaven after death. I will never kneel."

The Qing army was enraged and humiliated. Wu's knees were chopped off, his teeth were knocked out, his tongue was pulled out, and he was brutally killed by the Qing army.

Finally, let's introduce Shao Jiechun. He served as the Governor of Sichuan, a man of integrity and deep support among the people. In the 13th year of Emperor Chongzhen's reign, bandits attacked Sichuan, and Shao Jiechun was arrested for his crimes during the war. As he was being escorted to the capital, the streets were clogged with mourning, and boats on the river were unable to move. People scrambled to follow the envoy's banners. Even the King of Shu petitioned for his release, but Emperor Chongzhen had his own decision.

This guy's ending was similar to that of Sun Chuanting. In the end, they were both killed by the God of War of Coal Hill.

~~~~
Before traveling through time, every time I came into contact with the history of the late Ming Dynasty, I would feel a deep despair.

The system was rigid, people's livelihood was in decline, generals were corrupt, and the emperor was incompetent.

As a result, it was taken advantage of by the Qing Dynasty.

Gu Yanwu recorded the Qing army's abduction of Ming women and their journey northward, and there is a line in his poem:
"Three hundred boats sail north, each one carrying a beautiful lady."

When he accidentally read this poem in his previous life, he couldn't help but shed tears.

People of noble character and lofty ideals fought bravely and bravely, but they were unable to change the fate of China.

Can he change?
(End of this chapter)